Racist flyers found at Southeast

Southeast Missouri State University president Carlos Vargas sent a message to the university community Friday addressing racist flyers found on the school's main campus and River Campus earlier in the week.

The flyers, purportedly from Church of Creativity -- "White Racial Loyalty Without Compromise" -- espoused white supremacist views and claimed the group's "golden rule" is "What is good for the White Race is the highest virtue; What is bad for the White Race is the ultimate sin."

Vargas's letter indicated the flyers had been left on vehicles on campus.

"Please know I am extremely troubled by the messages conveyed in the flyers and am both concerned and saddened they may have planted an uneasiness in our campus community," he wrote. "No one on our campus should ever feel uncomfortable, threatened or discriminated against due to race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation."

Vargas indicated university staff removed the flyers and the school's Department of Public Safety investigated the incident. DPS identified a non-student from outside the region as the source of the material. Vargas stated the school has taken action, with the university's legal counsel sending the person a no-trespass notice. The president asked faculty, staff and students to report any such literature to DPS.

"We deeply value our diversity, and every individual who is a member of our university community. I have said on many occasions that Southeast is a place where everyone should be welcomed, appreciated, respected and included, and I am very proud of who we are. Each one of us belongs here!," he wrote. "Let us not be swayed by those who wish to ignite discord and spark division."