The University of Oklahoma (OU) is investigating a Snapchat video showing a white student saying the n-word while in blackface.
The video depicts a white female student smearing black paint on her face while another laughs and says, “You’ve got too much. That’s not a face mask.”
The first student then says “I am a nigger” to the camera.
Some girls that attend OU thought it would be funny (especially Olivia Urban and Francis Ford) to put black paint on their face and say “I am a nigger” @UofOklahoma #whatareyougoingtodo ????
The OU Office of University Community issued a statement after the video was recorded and posted to Twitter and Facebook condemning the actions of the students, who they did not identify.
“We have been made aware of an inappropriate and derogatory video circulating on social media posted by an OU student. The University Of Oklahoma abhors such conduct and condemns the students’ actions and behavior in the strongest terms possible,” the school said.
Meanwhile, OU students and alumni expressed outrage at the video.
@UoOklahoma : Your pinned tweet states: "The Sooner spirit believes in a little magic and a lot of passion, working hard to change the world, to love each other, and to do it all as one." If you mean it, expel the 2 girls in the racist video. I am an OU alumna.
University President James Gallogly later issued a statement that said the students had “offered to apologize in order to reflect their regret,” but did not mention any potential disciplinary action.
“To me, that’s not good enough,” said Janae Reeves, a black senior studying journalism. “We shouldn’t have people who do this stuff so blatantly suffer no consequences. The statement is bland, and it’s hurtful. It’s sending a big message that this is OK to do, and it’s not.”
Reeves said the video reminded her of an incident in 2015, her freshman year, when the SAE fraternity was recorded singing a racist song on a bus. The university investigated, expelled two students, and shut down the OU chapter of the fraternity.
The president of the Tri Delta OU chapter, London Moore, said the second woman in the video is a member and expressed regret for the incident, which is being investigated.
“Founded as a society that shall be kind alike to all, Tri Delta deeply regrets the insensitive and offensive actions of one of our members,” she said in a statement. “We are diligently working with the university, our volunteers and our executive office staff to investigate the incident and take appropriate action to hold our member accountable.
“We understand the concerns that this raises within the campus community and beyond and will prioritize our efforts to live kind and lead kind as Tri Delta women and as part of the larger OU community.”
CORRECTION
The 2015 party where fraternity members were filmed singing a racist chant on a bus was hosted by the SAE fraternity. A previous version of this story said the Tri Delta fraternity was cohosting the party, but members of the Tri Delta were indeed present.