TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Indiana State University President Deborah J. Curtis issued a statement in response to a racist video posted by a student late last month.
Several student organizations, like the ISU NAACP Collegiate Chapter and African Student Union, had called on the university to provide a more robust response to the video, which the NAACP described as “a student demonstrating discriminatory language in relation to a particular Black student attending a Fraternity and Sorority life event,” in their statement, which was released Tuesday.
The release also said the chapter had provided the administration with action items, where members “called on the President’s Office to publicly acknowledge and condemn the video, hate speech and discrimination; implementing a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate speech and discrimination.”
Curtis said as soon as the university became aware of the incident, the Vice President of Student Affairs, “immediately worked… to identify the student, communicate directly with student leaders, and strategize how to prioritize well-being and safety.”
Curtis condemned what was said in the video, stating “racism, hate speech and discrimination of any kind is deplorable and in direct contradiction of Indiana State’s mission… The student’s comments in the video in no way represent the ideals and goals of Indiana State University.”
The full statement can be found below.
The full statements from the African Student Union and ISU NAACP Collegiate Chapter were posted to Instagram, and can be found below.
