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An Instagram photo depicting the student in question and another person in a car had the n-word on the post, prompting Marist College President Dennis Murray to launch an investigation and reach out to the community.
The college’s Office of Student Conduct is “in the process of investigating and addressing this situation as a disciplinary matter,” according to Murray.
According to Marist Circle, the post has since gone viral and spread far wider than just the college’s community. It was posted and subsequently retweeted on Twitter more than 7,000 times, and it was also shared on Instagram by an influencer with more than a million followers. Murray has not confirmed that report.
According to reports, the student has been apologetic, posting a follow-up apology message in which she claimed that the photo was from years ago and denied that she wrote the caption that ran alongside the photo.
“Members of our campus community who saw this post were understandably shocked, insulted, and hurt by this egregious display of discriminatory language,” Murray said in an email sent to the community. “I count myself among them.”
“Coming at a time when so many people across the nation are in distress over the continued deaths of African Americans in police custody, this post not only displayed a callous indifference to recent national events, but made a mockery of our institutional values,” he added.
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