South Carolina Student Suspended For Racial Slur

You can't go a week without another story about racism at a college institution, it seems. On Friday, the University of South Carolina suspended a student over a racial slur written on a classroom whiteboard, the university confirmed. However, it's unclear at this time whether or not more severe action, such as expulsion, will take place against the student.

University President Harris Pastides announced the suspension on Friday in a pithy statement:

Today, the unfortunate and disappointing act of a student in a study room has challenged the Carolina community to reflect on our values and tell the world what we believe. Respect for all is at the heart of the Carolinian Creed, the code by which we agree to abide. Racist and uncivil rhetoric have no place at the University of South Carolina.We have taken appropriate actions to suspend a student and begin code of conduct investigations. The Board of Trustees has endorsed this prompt course of action.

According to

the Associated Press, the university was made aware of the racial slur through a photograph. The picture allegedly showed the female student writing a racial slur targeted at African-Americans. The slur was apparently written as part of an explanation as to why University of South Carolina has poor Internet connection.Although the student was not identified by the university, her name was reportedly surfacing on social media along with the picture. It appears the photograph was taken with Snapchat.

This is just the latest in a string of racially charged acts occurring on college campuses across the nation. Also last week, a noose fashioned out of rope was found hanging ominously on the Duke University campus. Duke University Police and the school’s Office of Student Affairs promptly opened an investigation into the incident, and a Duke student has already taken responsibility for placing the noose outside the college's student union, according to Duke Today. The student's identity was not released.

As students protested outside Duke Chapel last Wednesday, University President Richard Brodhead delivered this message to the school community:

The Duke administration is committed to work on eliminating all forms of inequality and discrimination at this university. But I’m also going to call on you, because getting this right can never just be the work of the administration. That isn’t something you can delegate to other people to take care of. It has to be all of our work to make the community all of us want to live in. So as you would be respected, show the respect to others that you would want to receive. As you would have someone understand you, take the trouble to extend yourself to understand where that person is coming from.

Duke may seem like it’s all finished, but we’re making this place every day, and we have a choice about what kind of place we’re going to make. One person put up that noose, but a thousand people came together to say, 'That’s not the Duke we want, that’s not the Duke we’re here for, and that’s not the Duke we’re here to create.'

Image: Getty Images