Racist Costume Prompts University of Wisconsin-Madison to Revise Stadium Policy

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will revise its stadium policy after a fan attended a game Saturday wearing a President Obama mask with a noose around his neck.

“I am deeply troubled by the incident from last Saturday’s game, and I am sorry for the harm it caused,” athletics director Barry Alvarez said in a statement Wednesday. “I am determined that nothing like this will happen again.”

The university plans to implement a revised policy by Wisconsin’s next game at Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 12 against Illinois.

Alvarez, meeting with community leaders and students on Wednesday, said the athletics department is “committed to working collaboratively to make sure our stadium is a great and safe place for fans to watch a football game.”

The fan who attended the game the costume removed the offensive parts when asked to do so by guest services staff.

Current university policy does not allow people to wear masks while entering the stadium, but permits them once inside.

A statement from Alvarez and school chancellor Rebecca Blank, said “a noose is a symbol of one of the vilest forms of racial hatred and intimidation in our country’s history.”

“A noose displayed in this fashion has no place on campus,” the statement said.