Here & Now

UW-Madison Responds to Video of Student Saying Racist Slurs

Frederica Freyberg:

Turning to education, additional funding for state colleges and universities may reportedly be held hostage by Republicans if the UW System does not agree to eliminate offices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, a trend being seen nationwide. This news comes the same week a social media video of a UW-Madison student hurling racist slurs has gone viral. Outrage over the student’s comments prompted protests on campus and a list of demands from the student-led Black Power Coalition, delivered to the office of UW-Madison Chancellor, Jennifer Mnookin, including academic accommodations, mental health resources and expulsion of the student in the video.

Elaine:

I would say that a lot of students’ initial thoughts were shock, confusion and pain. Unfortunately acts like these are not uncommon here and we decided that this was the time to really band together in order to make these things not continue to be a reoccurrence.

Frederica Freyberg:

Mnookin’s response condemned the racism in the video and acknowledged concern for the harm caused but stopped short of disciplinary action saying, “As to the individuals within the racist video, there are numerous legal constraints, both on what we can say and what we can do as a public university, even though the video is both hateful and harmful, I know that is not what you want to hear, but we are also bound to obey the law.”