Chancellor Richard Herman sent an e-mail to members of the campus community on Tuesday in response to racial threats made on a pro-Chief Facebook group named “If They Get Rid of the Chief I’m Becoming a Racist.”

“The idea that the debate over this issue could degenerate to personal attacks that threaten the physical safety and well-being of members of the campus community is something that all of us should find truly abhorrent,” Herman wrote.

The group is no longer on Facebook, but a post made on the group’s wall on Dec. 2 made threats against an unidentified student. The end of the post stated, “I say we throw a tomohawk into her face.”

The issue was exposed through e-mails from the University’s American Indian Studies Program and the Native American House. In a press release from the two groups, they claim the Facebook posts violate the University’s Student Code for rules of conduct and intolerance.

The Chancellor wrote that the University will not tolerate these types of threats and has forwarded the complaints to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution. The office is unavailable for comment until next week.

“The University will take all legal and disciplinary actions available in response to the threatening messages,” wrote Herman. University police are unavailable to comment on the specific ramifications.because it is an ongoing investigation.

Although this group is only now coming under scrutiny, racist posts date back as far as November 2006. One of the posts stated “But now I hate redskins and hope all those drunk, casino owning bums die.”

In recent months, an event sponsored by a fraternity and sorority on campus brought racial issues at the University to the forefront, including criticism of the University for their slow response to such issues. Wanda Pillow, director of the Native American House and American Indian Studies program, wrote in an e-mail that she is glad the group has been taken off the Web site so quickly.

“However, the anti-Indian attitudes that were expressed on the Web page demonstrate the hostile and abusive environment which persists for people of color at the University,” wrote Pillow.

A forum is set to discuss these race issues on Feb. 1 in Foellinger Auditorium.