[Chiefspants]

Racial tensions have been on the rise at KU as well. While I hesitate to say that things are at the level as they are at Columbia, people of color are routinely targeted on Lawrence's YikYak. While Lawrence and KU believe the "free state" mantra is integral to their identities, last year's student senate elections also put a spotlight on the institutional bottlenecks that are facing the students of color at KU. (Senate candidates need 500 signatures to run for office, need the backing of on campus institutions - which are almost always limited to fraternities or sororities, etc).

The students I know in the BSU have been quite inspired by the civic activism of Missouri's student body, and it wouldn't surprise me if the issue of race became a central focus on KU's campus over the next few weeks.