UW-Madison condemns racist video, says it can’t discipline person who made it

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is condemning a racist video made by a purported student but says it can take no disciplinary actions for what’s posted on the personal social media accounts of those studying or working there.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the now-deleted video in question reportedly depicts a white woman using racial insults and saying that she wants to bring back some Black people from slavery so she can abuse them.

Citing a federal privacy statute that forbids educational institutions from disclosing details about a student if the individual wishes privacy, UW-Madison reportedly claimed Tuesday it could not confirm whether the person in the video is a student.

A school banner is shown on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. UW-Madison is condemning a racist video made by a purported student and shared across social media. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Even though the original video has been removed, a copy has been circulated widely across social media, eliciting a strong reaction from campus leaders and organization. An online petition to expel the suspected student was reportedly in circulation.

“It’s a disgrace to us as individuals who need to be protected and to be recognized,” said Jaloni Taylor, president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s Kappa Rho Chapter, 27 News reported. “But it’s also a disgrace” to the university’s motto and mission statement.

On social media and in the petition, the language in the video was equated to violence against Blacks and said to endanger the safety of minority students at UW-Madison.

“What’s it going to take for you to learn?” outgoing student government president Ndemazea Fonkem asked in an Instagram post she signed “a Black girl fed up with white girls saying the N-word,” the State Journal reported. “Is it another ethnic studies class? A restorative justice circle?”

On Monday, UW-Madison Communications released an unsigned statement claiming the school’s Dean of Students’ office was still investigating the incident. They urged the campus community to seek assistance from the employee assistance office and mental health services of University Health Services.

“The university is aware of a video recently posted to social media that contains deeply harmful and offensive racist slurs and references,” the statement read, according to the State Journal. Racist slurs “do not represent or reflect UW-Madison values around creating an inclusive community,” the institution noted, though the video is beyond their control.

State politicians have recently focused on free speech on UW campuses and the degree to which students experience social repercussions from their peers for their remarks. Republican senators have convened more than 10 hours of hearings in the past month alone, during which some have argued that perceived liberal biases on campuses harm education quality and discriminate against conservative students.

A free speech poll conducted by the state college system that revealed most students don’t interact with viewpoints that differ from theirs prompted the hearings.

Academic misconduct and other policy infractions are grounds for discipline by the university. However, state law places restrictions on what behaviors warrant student reprimand.

Jekiah Manor, president of UW-Madison’s Black Student Law Association, said the worst part is that she, like Taylor, frequently encounters racially charged language and hostility of this nature at the university, 27 News reported.

“I think that this should bring a huge and robust realization to this campus that racism is here, and it’s active and present in every single day,” Manor shared, noting that the incidents aren’t always videotaped. “Black and brown students experience it every single day.”

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