@MyOdyssey
Again, the vandalism framing is simply B.S. It’s not about the press reports. My son sent me the original email of Wagner right away and there was no mention of vandalism or anything of that nature. It was specifically about the content of the message and how the University has to compensate those “in pain” for their “suffering”.
Additionally, the later mentions of the need to pursue those responsible and bring them up on conduct policy violation sent a very specific message. Especially, as per Emory policy, chalking outside the designated areas is not vandalism, and the punishment involves only the cleaning fee.
The administration started talking about vandalism only later, once the media shitstorm hit.
As a more general point, it is not in the slightest relevant whether the messages were directed at Latino community or not. Taunting or whatever the message was supposed to be is also free speech and the university cannot impose any content based restrictions (save for the standard caveats of performative speech).
When I say cannot it does not mean it’s incompatible with the ethos of a university although it surely is. It means that because the University has explicitly incorporated the bill of rights into its bylaws, it is legally bound by free speech protections and risks legal liability if it tries to suppress speech.