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Colorado State University investigates after two Native American men are pulled off tour after nervous parent calls cops

Two Native American men who were touring Colorado State University were pulled off the organized visit by campus police when a parent called to report that she was nervous about their presence, school officials said Wednesday.

Police questioned the men and allowed them to rejoin the tour, but by the time they were released, the group had moved on without them. The men then returned to CSU’s Ammons Hall before leaving campus and going home to New Mexico.

The incident on Monday has prompted a review by the university. CSU officials say campus police responded appropriately to the concerns of the parent, but they also reached out to the two men who only wanted to visit the campus to see if they wanted to enroll at CSU.

“This incident is sad and frustrating from nearly every angle, particularly the experience of two students who were here to see if this was a good fit for them,” university officials said in an e-mail to students Wednesday.

“As a University community, we deeply regret the experience of these students, while they were guests on our campus,” officials said.

The e-mail was signed by Leslie Taylor, vice president for enrollment and access, Mary Ontiveros, vice president for diversity and Blanche Hughes, vice president for student affairs.

University officials couldn’t be reached for further comment.

CSU’s office of admissions, office of vice president for diversity, Native American Cultural Center and CSU police are meeting to review how such an incident can be avoided or more “appropriately handled” in the future.

The incident happened during a CSU Admissions tour Monday. A parent participating in the tour called campus police because she was nervous about the presence of two young men who joined the tour while it was in progress, according to the e-mail.

Police responded to the call and contacted the young men, who are visiting from New Mexico, during the tour. CSU officers spoke with the students, confirmed they were part of the tour, and allowed them to rejoin the group.

Due to the location of the tour when the contact was made by police, the admissions tour guide was unaware that police had been called or responded, and the tour group had moved on without the students, the university said.

CSU police were obligated to respond to an individual’s concern about public safety, CSU said. Still, “the fact that these two students felt unwelcome on our campus while here as visitors run counter to our Principles of Community,” CSU said.

Many people on social media blamed the parent for overreacting to two non-white students taking a college tour.

“Seriously, this says far more about this parent than CSU,” one man wrote on Facebook. “Utterly ridiculous.”