When I went to Schroeder Hall this morning, I was taken aback by a sign promoting last Thursday's "True Life: I Live in a Racist World" that had a black-and-white advertisement for a "Chinese Man Kit" that "Contains: pigtail hat, eyeglasses & moustache." The sign was still hanging up at 10 a.m. on Tuesday even though the event was March 1.

Does the Office of Residence Life allow the usage of racist signs as promotional materials for residence hall events? Usage of racist imagery to promote debate on a Jesuit campus seems inappropriate.

I was not aware of the sign until I saw it when I was going to breakfast. I lodged a complaint with the Schroeder Hall director. Is this type of marketing supposed to promote debate or conversation? Will such signs be allowed in the future? From my experience of seeing such a sign, the answers to the previous two questions are yes.

A resident assistant I know told me that there were similar signs for different ethnic groups. So, apparently, there were several offensive signs hanging in a Marquette residence hall to promote a residence hall-sponsored event (True Life). Will provocative signs be allowed to promote the edgy topics of True Life events in the future? I would like the Tribune to investigate.

When I talked to the hall director over the phone, he stressed that the sign was a "real world" example and he said that "Our standard is to offend as little as possible. Our standard is to cause students to stop and look."

And the the hall director admitted that he OK'd the sign as a provocation to come to True Life and discuss why this is wrong and should be discussed. What is the Office of Residence Life's policy on racy, racist or edgy signage on public display in residence halls?

Pham is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.