The exhibit by Muslim graduate student Anida Yoeu Ali is part of a larger series of work at the school titled ""1700% Project,"" which uses art as a form of response to hate crimes, the statement from the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. The school said in a statement: "We are saddened by this incident and we are empathetic to Anida's situation. …Vandalism is never an appropriate response to a work of art."