Racist messages land on college campuses

White supremacist groups have targeted college campuses in surging numbers since President Donald Trump’s election, emboldened by political and racial tensions over immigration and other issues, according to a group thatmonitors extremism and bigotry.

The Anti- Defamation League issued a report Thursday that said racist fliers, banners and stickers were found on college campuses 147 times in fall 2017, a more than threefold increase over the 41 cases reported one year before.

Leaders of the New Yorkbased nonprofit attribute the uptick to a small number of white nationalist groups seeking to recruit members on college campuses that have ramped up their efforts as the nation’s politics grow increasingly polarized.

“Whatever momentum white supremacists felt they had last fall, they certainly are redoubling their efforts,” Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, said in an interview.

The league tracked 333 cases since Donald Trump was elected in November 2016. Since then, it has seen increased activity from groups celebrating what Segal called “the divisiveness that was a hallmark of the presidential campaign.”

“Whatwe’re dealingwith on college and university campuses is a reflection of the times. It’s regrettable, it’s unfortunate, but that’s where we are in 2018,” said Terry Hartle, a senior vice president at the American Council on Education, which represents chiefs of nearly 1,800 schools.