Racist video should lead to expulsion, say UW-Madison students | Education

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More than 200 University of Wisconsin-Madison students staged a sit-in protest at Bascom Hall on Wednesday morning, saying they would not leave until Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin spoke to them after a video of a Alleged UW-Madison student spewing racist comments including use of the n-word circulated earlier this week.

Two hours into the protest, Mnookin arrived at the chancellor’s office, apologizing to students for their pain, but said she was limited in how the university could respond.

I also want to say that the video that was posted was racist, reprehensible, vile, and I know it caused you great pain, and not just you in this room but far beyond, Mnookin told the protesters. I also hope you understand that there are very significant legal constraints on what I can say and what I can do. I know you probably don’t like it, but you do too.

The video, which circulated quickly on social media, shows a white student going on a racist rant about how she wanted to enslave black people. Many students said the comments made them feel threatened or unsafe, saying the video was part of a wider trend of racism on campus, with protesters calling for the student’s expulsion in a list of requests they submitted to the Chancellor.

A federal student privacy law prevents the university from identifying the individual or their enrollment status, but a Monday NBC15 article said UW-Madison has confirmed the person in the video is a student. The Cap Times chooses not to name the student because it was unable to independently verify her identity.

In a Monday statement, LaVar Charleston, UW-Madisons deputy vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, said the university could not expel the student because the First Amendment protects private speech, even hateful and offensive speech. The law prohibits the university from punishing students for the words they speak.

Some have called for the expulsion of the speaker of these racist remarks. Some have called for the worst, Charleston said in the statement. Simply put, the law does not allow the university to take punitive action for words like these spoken in private spaces, even when those words are racist and hateful.

UW-Madison administrators, including Charleston, spoke with students who gathered outside the chancellor’s office Wednesday morning. Lori Reesor, vice-chancellor for student affairs, told them the university had received at least a thousand hate and bias reports about the video and was giving priority to students who had requested a follow-up call about the video. the incident.

You’ll have to believe we’re doing what we can, she said, with some protesters scoffing at the response.

Charleston added that the university would provide more resources for mental health, but students yelled at him, asking the chancellor to speak to them.

A student said he was literally in fear for his life and pleaded with the university to take action.

We’re not statistics, we’re people, and this is a serious matter, so get your ass off the fucking pole and stand up and listen to us like the real fucking men and women you are , said the student. You are the superiors of this school, so start acting like that. We shouldn’t be afraid to live our lives on this fucking campus.

Students from the Blk Pwr Coalition drafted a list of nine demands in response to the video, as well as racism on campus as a whole. They delivered their demands in a letter to the Chancellor’s office and read them aloud to Mnookin, saying they needed a response within 24 hours.

These demands include an immediate investigation and expulsion of the student who spoke in the video along with more background laughter and a public apology from the university. Letter recommends how to support Black students moving forward, including more funding for safe spaces for students of color and required education on diversity, equity and inclusion for freshmen and other students.

Following the broadcast of a racist video, a demonstration takes place on Wednesday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ABIGAIL LEAVINS

In addition, they want increased mental health support services for students of color and an expansion of University Health Services crisis lines to report incidents of bias.

I’m sorry you’re faced with this today. And I’m sorry you’re facing this in our community. And I so wish it were otherwise, Mnookin said. I also know the great strength you bring to us, and I know the support for diversity and bringing multiple voices to what we do institutionally. It is a work in progress. We are not perfect, none of us are. But I see you, I’m sorry you feel the pain this is causing.

In its statement, Charleston said the video does not reflect the values ​​of the university, adding that we cannot let our reaction to this video stem from hatred and violence.

Quite simply, that is not what we are: a few do not speak for the whole. Along with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and the entire leadership team at UWMadison, I strongly and unequivocally condemn the racist sentiments expressed in this video, he said. According to reports, the people in the video were subjected to threats of violence and abuse. This too must be condemned, with as much force as we condemn the racist message itself.

Chancellor responds to requests

In a letter to the Blk Pwr Coalition, Mnookin responded Thursday morning by reiterating the apology she had made at the protest and again saying the university was bound by the law in handling the situation.

She encouraged students to contact instructors and the Office of the Dean of Students for academic accommodations if the video caused trauma that affects their studies, adding that UHS prioritizes the immediate mental health needs of students who wish to talk to a counselor for support. this week.

Mnookin also urged students to report physical threats against them to the campus police department.

I can say that the Dean of Students is working closely with others on campus to gather information, investigate reports of bias, offer support to affected students, and consider every possible action within our power to protect and support our students, Mnookin wrote.

Responding to the group’s letter requests, Mnookin also asked to meet with a small group of coalition members to discuss their concerns about programming, funding and space.

This is, I hope, the first step in an ongoing dialogue with you. We pledge to continue to engage and work with you in good faith to address your concerns, she wrote. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with a small group to discuss the issues raised in your petition in more detail so that we can work together to achieve meaningful improvements and results.

Following the broadcast of a racist video, a demonstration takes place on Wednesday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The protesters demanded an apology from the university, demanded DEI training as well as an immediate investigation and expulsion of a student who spoke in the video.

ABIGAIL LEAVINS Students speak out at student governance meeting

At a Madison Student Associate meeting Wednesday night, students expressed frustration with the administration’s initial statement and lack of action against the video.

Jada Young, a black student who spoke at the meeting, said it was sickening that the university was protecting the student in the video. Young said administrators choose to protect white students over black students.

Macy Olson, another student who identified as passing white, added that First Amendment protections have exceptions. According to the UW Free Expression page, those exceptions include hate speech, defamation, and fight words. Olson claimed that the speech in this video could be categorized as all of these.

Kunle Ho, a black student, also argued that protecting speech is no excuse for blatantly racist attacks. Ho said that instead of support, students marched down Bascom Hill only to be met with vague and condescending language from the university.

Others have said racism at UW-Madison is a bigger issue than that isolated incident. Brooke Messai, editor of Black Voice, a student publication dedicated to making the voices of black students heard, drew attention to the lack of space for people of color on campus. Every organization is pushed into this small space at Red Gym, Messai said.

Kai Brown, a black student who spoke at the ASM meeting, said he doesn’t go a day on campus without experiencing microaggressions. Brown called on the campus to remove racist memorabilia, including every statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Several students called for increased funding for black student organizations and DEI training for faculty. ASM President Kevin Jacobsen said the group would elect a new grants chair and allocate those costs as best they could.

The student lecturers also denounced ASM for not issuing a statement condemning the video. Jacobsen admitted the group was wrong and promised to try to make funding changes and support students.

Still, the students said the ASM should stop saying they would try to bring about change and instead take action. Xochitl Quinones, a student of color, argued that because the university won’t listen to people of color, the predominantly white ASM board needed to step up.

Students of color have offered their support to ASM in finding solutions. But Quinones said that didn’t give white students an excuse to be ignorant. They can’t worry about stepping on the toes of black students, Quinones said, but instead they can take action and give voice to marginalized communities.

District 8 Ald. Bishop Govindarajan, a UW-Madison student who represents the Madison campus, promised to be a resource when needed and to raise student voices whenever possible.

And no matter what they say, remember that our voice brings value to this campus, and that deserves recognition, Govindarajan said.

Cap Times reporter Kayla Huynh contributed to this report.

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