About 150 University of Notre Dame faculty members have signed a letter of support for minority students after comments about blacks were posted on a social media app. The letter appeared in a recent edition of the campus newspaper after the comments appeared on Yik Yak. It denounced racism and expressed support for any student who feels targeted by racism. Notre Dame junior Ray'Von Jones says the Yik Yak posts were “hurtful” but that the faculty letter was comforting. English professor John Duffy says he initiated the letter after a student told him a friend was considering transferring because of a sometimes unwelcome atmosphere for minorities. Less than 5 percent of the students enrolled at Notre Dame are black, while more than 70 percent are white.
