Marquette students recorded using racial slurs in Snapchat video
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MILWAUKEE, WI (WISN) — Two Marquette students are facing backlash over a video posted to social media that shows them using racial slurs.
The students involved are a Marquette sophomore and a Marquette freshman, who was a member of the university’s lacrosse team.
Marquette officials confirmed the student-athlete was removed from the team in response to the video.
The Snapchat shows both students lying down together using racial slurs repeatedly after one student asks about a facemask.
The video was widely shared online before both students deleted all their social media accounts.
WISN 12 blurred the students’ faces in our report and is not releasing the students’ names.
Marquette officials said the university launched a student conduct investigation.
The university said the results of the investigation will remain confidential due to privacy laws.
A Marquette spokesperson sent a statement to WISN 12 News:
“As a Catholic, Jesuit institution, we are called to build a nurturing, inclusive community where all people feel safe, supported, welcomed and celebrated. Racism and discrimination have no place on our campus. To all of our students, and in particular to our students of color, who share in a vision for Marquette as an antiracist institution, we pledge to continue to work with you to overcome injustice.”
Students with Marquette’s Black Student Union said this is not the first time they’ve experienced racism on campus before and said the university’s statement may not be enough.
“It was really just a shock. The video makes zero sense. You’re sitting there with a face mask on and it’s like, what’s the point of you saying that? Did you not think other people would see this? Did you not think it would get to the university,” said Kennedy Truevillian, a freshman studying nursing at Marquette. “I feel like where you go to school, it’s something that you should take pride in, but having situations like this is like, is this the right place for me? Did I make the right decision?”
“I would just say that it’s despicable. I don’t think that it should be condoned at all. We do want whatever can be done to be done and whoever to be involved,” said Brittany Mack, a Marquette freshman in environmental studies. “We want no leaf unturned. We don’t want to make them feel comfortable in this situation. We want them as uncomfortable as possible to understand that this isn’t OK.”
WISN 12 spoke to the father of the student-athlete, who said he had no comment on the situation.
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