OUMOU KANOUTE is a black student at Smith College with a summer job on campus. This is what happened as she ate lunch in a mostly empty dining hall one day last week:
A college employee saw her “laying on the couch” alone, mistook her for an unfamiliar male who “seem[ed] to be out of place,” and phoned the campus police. An unarmed officer was sent to check things out. He spoke politely to Kanoute, saw nothing was amiss, and left her in peace.
Here’s what didn’t happen:
