University at Buffalo campus police removed signs reading "White Only" and "Black Only" from Clemens Hall at the Amherst, N.Y. campus on Wednesday.
The signs, posted near a restroom and a water fountain, caused an uproar at the university, The Buffalo News reported. They were posted by Ashley Powell, a black graduate fine arts student, as part of an art project for a 400-level class titled "Instillation: Urban Space".
Powell told a packed Wednesday night meeting of the Black Student Union that the goal was to send a message about privilege and accountability, according to WGRZ-TV. She apologized for offending people, but said the signs were meant to be artistic expression.
Some students at the meeting walked out in outrage, denouncing the signs as "racist" and even calling it "an act of terrorism."
"It brought up feelings of the past of a past that our generation has never seen which I think is why it was so shocking for us to see," Micah Oliver, the President for the Black Student Union, told WIVB-TV.
"We want answers as to who approved this, why they would approve this and why no one took into consideration the feelings of black students on campus," UB student Jayonia Griffin told Time Warner Cable News.
Students at the meeting expressed fear, anger and disappointment. They said the signs crossed a line.
"I think a lot of people like artsy extreme stuff and use that sometimes as an excuse to get away with anything," Mikhal Gonzalez, a UB freshman, told WIVB. "I don't think that's right."
Other students say the project backfired horribly.
"I feel it kind of divided us into black and white," UB African Student Association President Charles D'Onigbind told TWC. "Especially in a time where there are police killings, there are Muslim kids getting arrested for building a clock. This is not a great period to try and play around with something like that."
Watch the WIVB-TV video report and leave a comment below.