After a thorough investigation, University of Missouri officials determined they had no legal authority to discipline a student — a now ex-leader of a prominent political club — who wished death on Black people, while using a foul racial slur to boot.
The administration’s outrageous inaction lets down its entire student body, and that’s unacceptable. How does this incident not rise to the level of at least some form of discipline?
“If they would have killed 4 more (n-word)s we would have had the whole week off,” the student, 22-year-old Meg Miller, wrote in a Snapchat message sent to a friend in December. “Crying laughing” emojis followed.
It should go without saying that spouting off violent and racist rhetoric is no laughing matter. The toxic private message was eventually made public and circulated in social media, leading to calls for Miller to be expelled from Mizzou. Despite condemning the message, university leadership, hiding behind the First Amendment, will not punish Miller.
It remains unclear what Miller was referencing. She has wiped her Instagram account clean, and attempts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.
In a statement, University of Missouri System President Mun Choi said that after an extensive review of the origin and context around the message, the school determined it had no grounds to discipline Miller because of First Amendment protections.
“First Amendment law does not allow a public university to punish speech only because it is racist or hateful — even when that speech is diametrically opposed to our values,” said the statement. We asked university officials if Choi was available for further comment. We were told no.
“Our university community will not be defined by the actions of one individual, but instead by our deep and collective commitment to be welcoming to all,” Choi’s statement continued.
Turning Point USA disavows slur
Miller is the former president of the MU chapter of the far-right student club Turning Point USA. Shortly after screenshots of her racist screed were posted on the internet, Miller resigned as president “without explanation,” according to the national Turning Point organization. “This kind of language has no place at TPUSA, and we support her decision to remove herself from all involvement with that local chapter” the group wrote in a statement to The Star.
We applaud the group for condemning Miller’s Snapchat message — but racism, no matter the context, is never OK. We understand the First Amendment and its free speech protections. But the question now is whether Mizzou officials just greenlit a student’s right to spread hateful messages without consequence.
It is as if leaders at the University of Missouri forgot what occurred in 2015 when top administrators failed to address systemic issues of race on the campus in Columbia that lead to hunger strikes and protests. School officials promised to work harder to foster diversity and inclusion after those incidents, including vows to increase the number of minority faculty members and graduate students.
Former MU President Tim Wolfe found out the hard way about not understanding the needs of Black students and other marginalized groups on campus. Wolfe resigned after Mizzou football players threatened to boycott a game against BYU in Kansas City that would have cost the university $1 million. Then-MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin was reassigned. Could the recent decision not to expel Miller lead to a new wave of protests? Mizzou is prepared, university officials told us.
A student being allowed to use hateful and derogatory language with impunity is disrespectful and a slap in the face to every minority student and faculty member at MU. We have to wonder if Choi and other campus leaders will ever have the courage to stand up for what’s right. As the state’s flagship university, there should be zero tolerance for racism at Mizzou.
Kaylyn Walker, social justice vice chair for the Missouri Student Association, posted on Twitter last month: “THIS is what’s happening on your campus as we speak,” Walker wrote last month. “She is allowed to freely roam campus while spewing racial slurs … and denying allegations. Black Mizzou and (people of color) on this campus are making a call to action that this is investigated IMMEDIATELY.”
Mizzou officials defended their decision in a letter to the campus on Monday, saying that no one was specifically targeted by Miller’s message. Therefore, the private message Miller sent to a friend did not violate university policy, officials said.
“The fact that (the message) is not targeting anyone totally eliminates the university’s ability to do anything,” Max Kautsch, an attorney who specializes in First Amendment rights and open government, told The Star. A public university cannot restrict free speech, Kautsch said.
The question of whether anyone is targeted by such an abhorrent message seems to be splitting hairs. An entire group of people was targeted, but somehow there’s nothing to be done — even though the message came from a prominent student voice on campus?
While the First Amendment may protect Miller’s spiteful speech, ignorance and hate are dangerous. The post and Miller’s presence on campus could create a hostile environment for students of color.
Making threats and using the n-word on social media to degrade Black people may not violate university policies, but Mizzou officials must do more to prove they’re serious about providing a safe and inclusive campus community for marginalized and minority students.
