TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Ngozi Edeh remembers the first time she saw the viral video that has made waves across the country.
The video in question was put on social media by a fellow Indiana State student in March, which the ISU NAACP Collegiate Chapter described as “a student demonstrating discriminatory language” towards a Black student in a statement last week.
“I was upset, I was offended by it,” Edeh, the Vice President of the African Student Union and an ISU Senior, said. “I was just hurt that someone we share classrooms with, dining halls, dormitories, would feel that way about other people.”
Several student organizations– including ASU– published statements this past week, pushing the administration to give a more robust response to the incident. That came last Wednesday, when ISU President Deborah Curtis realized a lengthy statement denouncing the video.
Gladys Amefia is the President of the African Student Union, and she said while Curtis’ statement was a start, she was disappointed how long it took to come out since the video first made waves weeks ago.
“The video from the student just broadened my perspective on how they handle certain things,” she said. “This was not a recent video, I had been hearing about the video but I didn’t see the video until last week, so I feel like action should be taken quicker so it doesn’t just feel like just words being said.”
As ISU staff prepare to hold a series of listening sessions this week, Edeh called for stronger punishment against the student in question.
“It’s about action. This was a serious offense, so it’s going to take serious consequences in order for the university to really be taken seriously as far as what they stand for, inclusivity and diversity,” Edeh said. “If they’re really about it, I want to see some action taking place.”
Amefia echoed those thoughts– saying that the university needs to set a clear standard that this behavior is not acceptable on campus.
“We want this as an example to other students, that they know what not to try in the future,” Amefia said. “Obviously the university talks about inclusion and diversity, and with it being kind of addressed but not addressed to the fullest extent, we’re just not seeing any results yet.”
The full statement from Curtis– as well as from student organizations like ASU– can be found here.
