Hate crime has Zingg riled

When a group of black Chico State University students returned to their car, which was parked near Nettleton Stadium, following a Wildcats basketball game last Saturday, they found its tires slashed and a racial slur spray-painted on it.

The incident, labeled a “hate crime” by campus officials, has elicited a forceful response from both campus police and President Paul Zingg.

In an e-mail message sent to the campus community, Zingg called it a “contemptible” act that strikes “at the core values of our community” and vowed that University Police would “pursue the perpetrators aggressively and seek their prosecution to the full extent of the law.”

Between them, Zingg and Provost Scott McNall have personally talked with all of the parents of the affected students, said university spokesman Joe Wills.

Chico State has long had difficulty attracting minority students because of its semi-rural location and dominantly white population, and incidents such as this one don’t help any, Wills said. That’s why it was important for Zingg to send “an impassioned and clear message that [the perpetrators] don’t represent the university we’d like to have.”

University Police Sgt. Robin Hearne, who’s heading up the investigation into the crime, said evidence at the scene was "limited" and police are eager to hear from possible witnesses. "We’re taking this very seriously," she said. "If anyone saw a suspicious vehicle or people hanging around in the parking lot, we want to hear from them." The number to call is 898-5372.