Students rallied together Thursday, Oct. 27 for a campus-wide protest at Florida Gulf Coast University.

A racial slur was found written on a whiteboard in a classroom at Seidler Hall. The words “KILL N*****S” were written along with a crude and graphic drawing of a stick figure, with a colored in head, hanging from a tree.

This incident occurred on Oct. 12, but staff and students were not notified until two weeks later. I personally found out about when I received an email that contained a letter written by President Wilson G. Bradshaw informing staff and students about the incident on Wednesday.

The FGCU Coalition of Black Organizational Leaders (COBOL) and the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC) met Wednesday afternoon at the Cohen Center balcony. During the meeting, members discussed how to express their discontent on how the FGCU administration handled the situation.

The members decided to hold a protest the following day at 1 p.m.

When the day came, students rallied together for a campus-wide protest.

WARNING: Some photos contain offensive language.

Students and faculty gathering at the FGCU bus loop. Students from COBOL are about to start their peaceful protest.

A poster of the racial slur that was found written on the white board in one of the classrooms at FGCU. Chief Steven Moore of UPD stated that there is no investigation underway and UPD does not consider it a hate crime. President Wilson G. Bradshaw of FGCU is speaking at the COBOL protest. He is expressing his concerns and telling students about the actions that FGCU has taken in light of the recent racial slur that was found in one of the classrooms at FGCU.

Students protesting at FGCU. Students were making their way to the Board of Trustees meeting in Marieb Hall.

Protesters participating in the organized sit-in in Marieb Hall. The Board of Trustees were currently meeting at the time.

From left to right, Jeremy Burke-Ingram and Malik J Hine at the Board of Trustees meeting. Burke-Ingram and Hine were presenting the demands made by the organizers to the Board of Trustees.

COBOL protest is concluding. Organizers are making their final comments.