Protesters gathered in front of Bessey and Wells halls on Thursday to circulate petitions asking MSU to stand by its anti-discrimination policy.
The demonstrators were upset about T-shirts that contained slogans they found offensive.
The shirts, distributed as part of a Citibank credit card promotion, contained the words “Freshman girls, get ‘em while they’re skinny.”
April Herndon, an American studies graduate student, teaches American Thought andLanguage 140, Women in America, in Bessey Hall, where one of the T-shirt stands was set up.
“All week long my students and I had to walk up the stairs to get to our classroom past him,” she said. “We stopped several times and explained to him that the T-shirts were offensive.
“He was amazingly rude.”
Herndon said she asked students in her class to express their anger at the shirts.
“We wanted to make certain that we make everyone in the university understand that women on campus are not going to tolerate the university’s condoning of this sort of information being passed out on T-shirts,” she said.
Citibank spokeswoman Maria Mendler said the company does not approve of the T-shirts.
“We do not condone these T-shirts, or any kind of T-shirt like that,” she said. “This is something we would never condone from any of our vendors.”
Citibank has already contacted the university and is investigating the matter, Mendler said.
Women’s studies sophomore Jennifer Dunn was also upset by the shirts. She was involved in an altercation with one of the vendors Tuesday.
Dunn said she and two friends were trying to steal some of the T-shirts when the vendor gave chase.
“The guy from the table chased us down and tackled us,” she said.
Dunn and the other two students were taken to the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety where they were cited for larceny.
The case has been forwarded to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
Dunn said the vendor was very aggressive and told police she wished to press assault charges.
Social work freshman Lindsey Groh is in Herndon’s class. She said she was outraged by the slogans.
“People don’t realize how serious their messages are and how they affect college students,” she said. “It was really offensive having to go to my class and see that every time when I’m here to learn.”
Electrical engineering senior Jonathan Chitwood signed the petition.
“I think it’s offensive that they would bring these things onto our campus,” he said.
Staff Writer Rachel Wright contributed to this report.
