The Associated Press

OXFORD, Ohio - Hundreds of students, faculty and residents rallied at Miami University to protest a cross burning at a home and a derogatory anonymous e-mail sent to a campus gay and lesbian group.

"It's really disheartening to know that, in this day and age, these things are still happening," Marcus Langford, a Miami graduate student, said during Tuesday's rally at the school. "There are still people that want to send out a message of intolerance."

Police are investigating the cross burning. A homeowner reported finding the smoldering remnants of the 3‡-foot cross in his yard upon returning home Oct. 20.

That day, 12 members of the campus organization Spectrum received an e-mail saying its members "weaken the moral foundation of this country." It went on to suggest that they "should go find a ceiling rafter and a sturdy piece of rope. You know the rest."

Officials have not indicated if the incidents were connected.

"We want to show how strong our support is and make it known that these acts of homophobia and racism are an attack on all of us," Ross Meyer, a member of Spectrum, told the rally crowd Tuesday.

Because the e-mail did not suggest that the writer intended to harm the recipients, university officials concluded that it could not be investigated as a crime. The administration denounced the message, calling it despicable. The e-mail was fictitiously signed, and school officials said they do not know whether it came from within the university.

Six churches in the community plan a candlelight vigil Sunday evening to protest the cross burning.

"If we, as a nation, will not tolerate terrorism from abroad, then we must not, as a nation, tolerate terrorism at home," said the Rev. Mark Tyler, one of the pastors organizing the vigil.