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Dead bear at WCU was ‘stupid prank,’ Bardo says
By Justin Goble
A dead black bear found at Western Carolina University’s main entrance with two political signs for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama attached to its head represents a “stupid prank” rather than a political statement, according to WCU officials.
The 75-pound cub was found at Western’s main entrance Monday morning (Oct. 20), and the incident and its racial overtones quickly attracted national media attention. Many in the area believed it was the work of people opposed to Obama’s election until WCU officials released information late Tuesday indicating seven WCU students have been identified as being involved in placing the dead bear that was discovered around 7:45 a.m.
According to University spokesman Bill Studenc, WCU Police Chief Tom Johnson said most of the students had been interviewed by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Based on the information provided by those interviewed, authorities now believe that the incident was not some sort of political statement – as had been speculated because of the Obama signs – but was a prank.
It appears that some students on a camping trip stumbled across the body of the bear while searching for firewood late Saturday night (Oct. 18) and put the bear in the back of a pick-up truck before continuing their camping trip, Studenc said.
Though it was initially thought the bear had been shot, N.C. Wildlife Resources personnel have indicated the bear was apparently struck and killed by a vehicle, Studenc said.
With the bear still in the back of their truck, the students arrived Sunday night at a social gathering at The Summit, an off-campus residential complex, and struck up a conversation with others about what to do with the animal, Studenc said. One of the students suggested placing it at the base of the Catamount statue at the main entrance of campus; en route to campus, the students took random political signs to put over the bear’s head in an effort to cover the head wound and prevent blood from spilling into the bed of the truck, Studenc said.
The students dumped the bear into the center of the roundabout at the entrance to campus at about 2:40 a.m. Monday and returned to their apartment, according to Studenc.
The students told Chief Johnson that their actions were not politically or racially motivated, and one of the students involved in the incident is African-American, Studenc said.
While no charges have been filed, Studenc said campus law enforcement officers and N.C. Wildlife Resources agents plan to discuss their findings with the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges would be appropriate. The discussion with the DA will not take place until all perpetrators have been interviewed, he said.
Upon hearing the findings of the interviews, WCU Chancellor John Bardo issued the following statement:
“I am pleased to hear that this situation appears to be a stupid prank. I am disappointed in the extremely poor judgment demonstrated by these young people. I hope that this intolerable incident can serve as a learning moment for them and for others, one that reminds us that we must respect one another’s opinions and we should not jump to conclusions without first having all the facts.”
When the bear was found on the roundabout near the Catamount statue, campus police notified officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to help remove the bear’s body and conduct an investigation, Studenc said.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Secret Service have also been notified about the incident, Studenc said.
News of the dead bear at WCU sparked discussion on campus Tuesday as to what it might mean and what effect it would have on perceptions of WCU and Western North Carolina.
That was certainly the case during Leah Hampton’s literature and politics class on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 21).
Students spent much of the class discussing their reaction to the incident and what should be done about it. Kristen Shander said she’s concerned about the racial overtones that could be inferred. She said the fact that the bear cub was black could be a comment on Obama’s race.
“I think that says something pretty clear,” she said. “The bear is black, and Obama is black. That cub was shot in the head. The fact that whoever did it also took the time to stick Obama signs on it is also a bad thing. Are the people who did this trying to tell us they think Obama should die?”
Kyle Jhant agreed, saying he wondered if the incident could be considered a hate crime.
“If they’re trying to make a comment about the fact that Barack Obama is black, it certainly seems like it could be a hate crime.”
If the dead bear was meant as a means of intimidation, the message might be directed at voters who support Obama. Polls show that the candidate is doing well among college students, and the fact that it was found at WCU’s entrance had Jacoby Hammond thinking whoever did it wanted to send a message to voters on campus.
“Maybe it was directed at us,” he said. “A lot of people on campus support Obama and are going to vote for him. Maybe that’s who they’re trying to scare.”
Students are also concerned about what the incident could do to WCU’s image. Cat Thompson said she knows that not everyone on campus would resort to such an act to make a political statement, no matter what viewpoints they have. Unfortunately, she said there’s not much that officials can do to dispel any negative image the incident would create for WCU.
“The university is working with law enforcement to find who did it,” Thompson said. “I don’t know what more they can do outside of going on CNN and saying, ‘Not everyone around here thinks like this.’ It’s going to be hard to live down.”
Shander agreed, calling the incident “immature.”
“You hope everyone would be more mature about this election,” she said. “Things like this make you realize that some people can’t be that way. It certainly doesn’t make Cullowhee look good.”
Joe Basile said that many people he’d met see WCU as a “liberal bubble” inside a conservative region.
“A stereotype I hear is that a lot people view the area outside of campus as full of ignorant, backwoods people,” he said. “You have those everywhere, and I think it’s unfair to think this region has more of that than anywhere else. But things like this reinforce that stereotype in a lot of people’s minds.”
Michael Gaskin said he thought whoever killed the bear dumped it on campus as a way to draw attention to their political beliefs, which he thought were anti-Obama. The fact that so many people are talking about it shows the perpetrator achieved that goal, he said.
“If you’re telling everyone you know about it, that’s just giving the people who did this exactly what they want,” Gaskin said. “Why should we go on and on about it? It’s just feeding the fire. We should acknowledge that yes, this did happen and move on.”
Gaskin also pointed out that the incident may have negative ramifications for supporters of Republican presidential candidate John McCain who live on campus and throughout the county. He said there is a chance that people might think all of McCain’s supporters in the area are willing to do something like this.
“I’ll admit that I’m a conservative, and I’m voting for John McCain,” he said. “But things like this are not what I represent nor do they represent me.”
“There is a chance this could make people single out those who have made it clear they’re voting for McCain and criticize them,” Thompson said. “That’s unfortunate really. To me, this election is one of the most important in U.S. history. After this election the United States could go one way or another. It frightens me that some people may want to make a political statement, (that) they (might) see this and decide to do something just as drastic.”
While there is a political message behind the incident, WCU Political Science Professor Gibbs Knotts said that message is unclear at best. While elections in the past have been filled with intimidation tactics, he said the perpetrators usually go out of the way to make their message clear.
“There have definitely been strange things that happened in an election year,” he said. “You can go way back in U.S. history and see there has been intimidation towards certain groups in several elections. But it’s really unclear what message is trying to be sent here. If it was a matter of intimidation, that message would usually be more clear cut.”
Hampton agreed, saying she was confused about what the perpetrators are trying to say.
“If they want my outrage, I’m more than happy to give it to them,” Hampton said. “But what do they want me to be outraged about? Are they saying they hate Obama because he’s an environmentalist? Because he’s black? It’s just really confusing to me.”
Whatever the perpetrators were trying to do, Knotts said the incident will not deter WCU students from turning out to vote.
“It’s an unprecedented kind of thing,” he said. “What I can say is that our students have been particularly engaged in this election for more than a year. I don’t think this is going to dampen their enthusiasm. We have really strong college Republicans and Democrats. It’s rare that there’s an equal balance between the two on a college campus.
“I don’t think it would cause concern among general voters in the area either,” he said. “It’s hard to assert a motive and see what the message is with this incident. I honestly don’t see how it would change someone’s views. It more than likely would reinforce the views people already have about this election.”
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