Discussing the recent discovery of a noose hanging on the office door of an African-American professor at Columbia University, regular guest Ann Coulter asserted on the October 18 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Jon Caldara Show that “there appears to be about a hoax hate crime per month on a college campus.” Coulter further stated, “I don't know of a real hate crime on a college campus for 20 years” and later added, “I can't prove a negative, but I would like to know about one real hate crime.” In fact, according to the most recent data released in May 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education, numerous hate crimes were committed on college campuses, through such offenses as assault, murder, arson and sex assault, from 2001 through 2003.
Coulter and host Jon Caldara were discussing Coulter's latest online column, in which she asserted, “Liberals are so invigorated by the story about a noose being found on an obscure Columbia University professor's door that now nooses are popping up all over New York City. Liberals love to make believe the Night Riders are constantly at their doors.” The same column provided examples of so-called “hoax hate crimes on college campuses.”
From the October 18 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Jon Caldara Show:
CALDARA: And by the way, for those people who don't get Ann Coulter's column in the paper, which is a whole bunch of you, just go to AnnCoulter.com, and it's there every week.
COULTER: Yes, thank you. And it is a fine little column. I assume -- wait, I know this is making national news; it's all over MSNBC and CNN --
CALDARA: Mmm-hmm.
COULTER: -- nooses are proliferating all over New York, and in addition to the insanity of liberals thinking that, you know, we have these right-wing nightriders out mugging obscure Air America radio hosts, apparently liberals in New York are now convinced that the Klan has established a beachhead at Columbia University --
CALDARA: That center of hate.
COULTER: Right, right. Which it actually is, but not against any, you know, politically correct victims. I mean, they did invite Ahmadinejad to speak, and I suspect the College Republicans don't have an easy time of it. But, I mean, the entire city is in a tumult, and I couldn't even put in all the hoax hate crimes, but for the past 20 years, there appears to be about a hoax hate crime per month on a college campus. I don't know of a real hate crime on a college campus for 20 years. Maybe some were unproved or not proved to be hoaxes, but I mean a proved hate crime. I didn't put that in the column, because I'm not sure of that. I can't prove a negative, but I would like to know about one real hate crime, and yet they keep holding rallies against racism after, you know, the black students association, you know, puts up a noose, as happened at Duke, as happens at lots of colleges. You know, produce one college student or professor who is for racism, I say, before you hold the next rally against racism.
[Caldara laughs]
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent annual report on hate crimes, the Hate Crime Statistics Act requires the U.S. attorney general to collect data “about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.”
Statistics the Department of Education compiled for 2001 through 2003 show numerous instances of “Bodily Injury” and “Aggravated Assault” that occurred on college or university campuses and were classified as hate crimes. For example, the Department of Education in 2003 identified 49 cases of bodily injury as on-campus hate crimes. Additionally, 13 cases of aggravated assault classified as hate crimes were reported on college campuses the same year. Other on-campus hate crimes identified by the Department of Education from 2001-2003 were cases of robbery, forcible and nonforcible sex offenses, negligent manslaughter, murder/non-negligent manslaughter, motor vehicle theft, burglary, and arson.
From the Department of Education's summary on Campus Crime and Security Statistics:
Hate Crimes
Bodily Injury
Reporting Location
Sector of Institution
On-Campus
2001
2001
2003
Public, 4-year or above
74
3
14
Private nonprofit, 4-year or above
59
2
14
Private for-profit, 4-year or above
0
0
0
Public-2-year
52
5
15
Private nonprofit, 2-year
9
0
6
Private for-profit, 2-year
5
0
0
Public, less-than-2-year
58
0
0
Private nonprofit, less-than-2-year
5
0
0
Private for-profit, less-than-2-year
4
0
0
Total
266
10
49
Hate Crimes
Aggravated Assault
Reporting Location
Sector of Institution
On-Campus
2001
2002
2003
Public, 4-year or above
18
13
6
Private nonprofit, 4-year or above
25
23
3
Private for-profit, 4-year or above
2
0
0
Public-2-year
14
5
3
Private nonprofit, 2-year
2
2
0
Private for-profit, 2-year
0
2
0
Public, less-than-2-year
5
2
0
Private nonprofit, less-than-2-year
6
0
0
Private for-profit, less-than-2-year
3
0
1
Total
75
47
13
