About 50 student leaders and representatives of NIU minority organizations met Monday night to discuss possible future actions in response to recent racial incidents on campus.

Larry Robertson, Student Association minority relations adviser, outlined three demands he will make of the Holmes Student Center Bookstore, where four black students were accused of shoplifting Jan. 21.

Robertson said he has asked Stan Shedaker, student center bookstore director, to deliver four signed letters of apology for “insensitivity to minorities” to Robertson’s office by 5 p.m. today.

If he does not receive Shedaker’s letters of apology today, Robertson said minority organizations “will lead all students concerned about the status of minorities on campus in a boycott of the bookstore.”

Robertson said he will be asking for a full investigation of the store, including its hiring policies.

James Harder, vice president for business and operations, will be asked to make a public verbal apology for the store’s actions to the minority community at the Black Theater Workshop’s variety show Feb. 19, Robertson said.

Representatives at the meeting also discussed a course of action to be taken in response to racist letters received recently by at least eight NIU administrators and student leaders.

The anonymous letters, apparently from three different sources, made general threats concerning the disruption of Black Heritage Month events.

Jim McDermott, president of the Lambda Christian Fellowship, said a long-term goal for people concerned about the letters’ spread of racism should be “public education to dispel stereotypes.”

Short-term goals should include identification of the letter-writers and the monitoring of any such racist behavior in the future, McDermott said.

Jon Dalton, vice president for student affairs, said the U.S. postal investigation office in Chicago has not been able to identify the writers of the letters.

Dalton said, “People must realize if they do things that are racist on this campus, they must face the consequences.”

Robertson said he will ask “the Black Greek Council and other organizations with a majority or a good portion of blacks on campus” to use their resources to promote awareness of racism.

Future actions might include writing a letter to The Northern Star on behalf of minority organizations, “expressing the need to communicate our internal strength and cohesiveness in this situation,” Robertson said.

He said he would be the coordinator of minority organization responses if racist incidents should occur in the future.

Pam Bozeman, president of the Black Greek Council, said paranoia and misinformation are obstacles in dealing with racism.

Eddie Williams, vice president for finance and planning, said, This whole situation is about the shaping of people’s minds.

“If (the letter-writers) can get in your minds and confuse you, then they’ve succeeded in what they’re trying to do. You’ve got to be smarter than them and set up a network of information.”