Racial Slurs Prompt Student’s Suspension, Staff Member’s Departure at CMU
By Dylan Goetz Apr. 19, 2024
MOUNT PLEASANT, MI – A Central Michigan University student has been suspended, and a staff member has been “separated from the university” after two incidents involving racial slurs.
A video circulating on social media earlier this week showed “individuals using racist language,” which triggered an investigation from CMU’s Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity.
The Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion then hosted a listening session for faculty and staff to discuss the video and other incidents on campus on Monday, April 15.
That evening, at the listening session, a staff member used an “inappropriate and highly offensive word.”
That staff member was placed on administrative leave and has now been “separated from the university,” according to President Robert Davies’ most recent statement.
“I am deeply sorry that this happened, especially because it happened in a space that was intended to be a safe space for dialogue and support,” Davies wrote. “Students have every right to feel frustrated, angry and hurt.”
The CMU student, who was identified in the video circulating on social media, has been suspended and “is no longer on campus.”
“The recent incidents of racist, discriminatory language and behavior have no place in our university community – they directly conflict with our core values of inclusiveness, compassion and respect,” Davies said. “Incidents of bias and discrimination do not represent who we are, and they do not embrace the vision of the community we aspire to be now and in the future.”
Central Michigan University students gathered to protest and start a petition on campus on Wednesday, April 17, in response to the two incidents.