UI Urbana Chancellor, Native American Director Show Outrage at Exhibit Damage

University of Illinois Urbana Chancellor Richard Herman says the recent damage to a Native American exhibit are 'malicious' attacks that impact everyone in the campus community.

In a mass e-mail sent Tuesday, Herman decried the vandalism on the 'Beyond the Chief' exhibit on Nevada Avenue, the most recent occurring over the weekend. He says the U of I has the widest interpretation of free speech and expression, and will not tolerate acts of intimidation, violence or hate. And the director of the U of I's Native American House, Robert Warrior, says American Indian students on campus are echoing those comments. "They're questioning what kind of environment they're having to learn in. How safe is this place?," says Warrior. "And even if it seems physically safe to be on campus most of the time, how safe are the ideas that students are expressing? How safe do they feel, and how welcome do they feel on campus?"

Warrior notes the work of 'Beyond the Chief' artist Edgar Heap of Birds has been on display for more than 20 years in several other communities, and has remained undisturbed. He says the U of I exhibit made up of metal signs has been strengthened to make further attempts to damage the art more difficult. Herman says he's confident the culprits responsible for the damage will be caught.