UT Dallas' "Spirit Rocks" become tense platform for students amid Israel-Palestine conflict
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — As the violence in the Middle East reaches a critical point, so does the rhetoric on public displays at one North Texas college campus.
The University of Texas at Dallas' "Spirit Rocks" have been a popular way for students to express themselves about almost anything. But in the past two weeks, the three large stones have become a tense platform for politics with competing views about the violence in the Middle East, as the student newspaper has documented.
And after words painted on the rocks this week sparked outrage, a community organization that represents Jewish UTD students is demanding the school president meet with them over their concerns.
"To see 'Zionism = Nazism,' is deeply hurtful," said Hillels of North Texas Executive Director Melissa Friedensohn.
Yusuf Wadi, a Palestinian senior at UTD, says anyone has the right to paint over anything they don't agree with and that the stones are there "to bring other fellow students awareness of how their peers feel."
And some students have even been camping out at the rocks to quickly paint over any messages with opposing views.
The university has declined to comment on the controversy, and there is no indication that officials are going to intervene in the displays.
You can find a photo display of the student graffiti about the Israeli-Palestine conflict documented by the UTD student newspaper, 'The Mercury' here.