“End White Replacement.”
These are the words that greeted many Wabash students in the early afternoon of March 23. Multiple stickers were placed around campus. One called for the end of “White Replacement” with the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) logo. Another said “White Working class Pride” and displayed a symbol commonly associated with white supremacist groups.
Wabash Director of Safety and Security Buck Waddell reported that stickers were placed at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Grant Avenue, on the flagpole on the mall, over an Edward Brooke poster near the flagpole that the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies (MXIBS) erected in commemoration of Black History Month and on the Arch’s light pole.
Emails denouncing the messages swiftly arrived in inboxes. Dean of Students Scott Brown and President of the College Scott Feller, as well as President of the Student Senate Austin Pickett ’26, issued statements to the student body.
“I am disgusted by these remarks,” said Pickett. “There is no place on our campus and in our brotherhood for hate to be spread against any group. We are here to be gentlemen and come together as brothers united by the message of Wabash, but these messages are short of those ideals.”
Dean Brown clarified that there was a potential suspect that the Crawfordsville Police Department (CPD) was investigating. Waddell confirmed this, elaborating that Campus Security is on the lookout.
“We are working in conjunction with CPD detectives regarding this issue,” said Waddell. “They have a description of our person of interest along with our safety team and we will be looking out for this person on our campus.”
This incident came after there were rumours that a TPUSA chapter would soon be founded on campus. One of the major advocates for bringing TPUSA to campus was president of College Republicans Owen Miller ’27. He was very clear that these stickers had nothing to do with their goals and did not condone their placement.
“On behalf of the executive committee, we would like to clarify that these stickers are not authorized or affiliated with Turning Point USA,” said Miller. “We also want to emphasize that the message displayed on these stickers does not reflect our values or mission.”
No matter the identity of the culprit, the message was heard across campus. Many felt hurt and attacked in their own community. This is especially prevalent in the shadow of so many other acts of hatred at Wabash, including the vandalism of the MXIBS in 2021 and multiple attacks on other groups across campus in recent years.
“The MXIBS condemns the racist and divisive messages displayed on our campus,” said MXIBS Chairman Jordan Olarewaju ‘27. “The presence of materials rooted in aims to divide and separate our campus does not belong here. Period. This includes the defacement of the infographic of a respected Black figure like Edward Brooke, which is unacceptable and does not reflect the values we strive to uphold as a Wabash community. Regardless of who it was, it was completely unnecessary and does not stand at a place like Wabash.”
Even though the stickers were promptly removed, their marks remain. The pain they caused is undeniable. Many are relieved to hear that this act was not perpetrated by a Wabash community member, but many are also ready to see how members of Wabash react and choose to lend their support.