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2 0 0 4 C A M P U S O U T R A G E A W A R D S 
The boy who cried hate at Northwestern
In November 2003, racist graffiti was found in some of Northwestern's dorms and the student center. The school's biggest newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, gave the story front-page coverage. Student leaders mobilized and began lobbying for mandatory expulsion for anyone who committed a "hate crime." Then came Xander Saide. On November 5, Saide, a freshman majoring in communications, told reporters someone had written "Die Spic" on his door. Four days later, he filed a police report claiming that he'd been attacked at knifepoint outside his dorm by thugs who whispered, "spic, we didn't run away this time," in his ear. Student leaders immediately asked minority students to wear black and remain silent for one day. The next day, all NU students were asked to wear black before coming to a "stop the hate" rally. The overall mood of outrage was stoked by the campus newspaper and leaders from student groups such as For Members Only (the African-American group).
On November 12, Saide tearfully spoke in front of the rally, which drew over 500 people. He is quoted in The Daily Northwestern as saying, "The feeling of a knife being pulled on me is still with me, and I don't know if it will ever go away." The next day, as Evanston police officials interviewed Saide further, the boy confessed, telling police that the "hate crimes" were a hoax. According to police officials who said "once you've been around long enough you just get a gut feeling about things like this," parts of Saide's story weren't ringing true. Evanston Chief of Police Frank Kaminski announced criminal charges and told reporters that Saide had fabricated the crimes to "draw attention to [the plight of minorities]." How did the campus respond? The administration issued a press release: "We are, of course, concerned about the health and well being of all of our students, including Xander Saide." The Daily Northwestern wrote: "Even though the protest — prominently featured Saide and his fabricated stories, the event still was an example of the best NU has to offer." Northwestern has yet to take disciplinary action against Xander Saide. Additional Information: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/11/19/3fbb27c18955a Contact outrage@isi.org for more information.
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