Some universities have taken strict action against students, and in one case, a faculty member, for their racist and offensive comments and videos about George Floyd, a Black man who died last week after a Minneapolis police officer pinned him down with his knee on his neck for approximately nine minutes. These students and faculty also made derogatory comments about those protesting Floyd’s death.
The University of South Carolina expelled a student responsible for a racist social media post and Marquette University withdrew an admission offer to a student for the same reason, reported WIS News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
At Missouri State University, two incoming students who also made racially inflammatory posts withdrew from the university, even though university president Clif Smart decided he wouldn’t rescind their offers of admission. In South Carolina, the College of Charleston rescinded an offer of admission to a student who wrote a racist social media post, the institution said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Temple University has “reported” a student to concerned authorities for a racist video. At The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, authorities are investigating a racist comment posted by a student. And at Weber State University, a professor resigned after his offensive comments about those protesting the killing of George Floyd angered many.
Admission was rescinded for an incoming student at Marquette University who in a social media post compared the death of Floyd to some athletes’ peaceful protests against racism by kneeling during the national anthem.
One publication said the student is Leah Zenk from New York’s Riverhead High School. She was set to play on Marquette’s women’s lacrosse team on a scholarship.
“Some ppl think it’s ok to (expletive) kneel during the national anthem so it’s ok to kneel on someone’s head,” the incoming freshman’s post read. “come at me. y’all brainwashed,” said the social media post by Zenk.
