A Greek life retreat for students at the University of Mississippi was cut short last weekend after three black students found a banana peel in a tree by a cabin, reports The Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper. The placement of the banana peel was considered an offense against African Americans even though a student said he threw the peel in the tree because he couldn’t find a garbage can. Breakfast options Saturday morning included a fruit cart with bananas. “Many members of our community were hurt, frightened, and upset by what occurred,” Alexa Lee Arndt, interim director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, wrote in a letter to campus chapter leaders that was obtained by the student newspaper. The discovery of the banana peel led to an emotional discussion at Camp Hopewell about race relations. “The massive discussion session wrapped up as more and more students stood and left the room – some in tears, some in frustration,” according to The Daily Mississippian. Students texted friends to come pick them up from the camp and the remainder of the retreat was canceled. “At that point, we didn’t feel welcome, we didn’t feel safe,” Makala McNeil, one of the students who found the peel, told…
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