Florida International University has suspended two former campus Republican leaders for two years and barred them from campus following an investigation into a racist WhatsApp group chat that sparked protests, a federal lawsuit and scrutiny of the university's handling of hate speech allegations.
Abel Carvajal, a third-year law student and former secretary of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, was found responsible for facilitating violations of the school's Student Code of Conduct after creating the group chat last fall, according to court records while Dariel Gonzalez, then the FIU College Republicans' recruitment chairman, was also found responsible for conduct violations tied to abusive language as well as references to driving under the influence and smoking marijuana on campus.
