MACON, Ga. — Wesleyan College in Macon has expelled a student following racist social media posts.
Screenshots of the posts, which WMAZ has opted not to share due to the language on them, were sent in to our Facebook Messenger inbox and newsroom email Thursday afternoon.
At 12:25 p.m., controversy as the screenshots spread across social media led the president of Wesleyan to issue a statement.
It said:
“We are living in a strange time. Here at Wesleyan, it’s calm and peaceful—but it’s also void of human activity, except for a few staff who come to work each day, rotating days with their office mates. When not attending to essential duties, we remain sheltered in the relative security of our homes, hoping to avoid contact with the coronavirus. But all around us, in the news and on social media, we are witnessing the daily escalation of racial tensions around the world. We are feeling that escalation at Wesleyan too, and we are responding quickly and decisively.
First, as our Freedom of Expression policy says, we “condemn all instances of intolerant speech or conduct.” We will abide by our policies related to intimidation, bullying, and appropriate use of social media.
Second, and very importantly, we urge members of the Wesleyan community to resist using social media to engage in name-calling and hateful or racist comments. We will take swift and decisive action if we discover that students, faculty, or staff have engaged in overtly racist and hate-filled behavior—up to and including suspension and expulsion of students and suspension and termination of faculty and staff.
We have a long way to go in our search for peace and equity—here in our little corner of the world and throughout the world. My prayer is that we, the Wesleyan community, will seek to be instruments of peace and will model for others an equitable community.”
Several Facebook commenters, including alumni of the college, said the school's initial statement was not enough and accused them of deleting their comments.
By 5 p.m., the school issued a second statement decrying the posts as ‘abhorrent’ and a ‘gross violation of Wesleyan’s mission and values.’
The school says they launched an investigation that led to the expulsion of the student.
They concluded by saying, “Wesleyan will not tolerate racist behavior in any form.”
The student was not identified by the college.
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