UPDATE: UM Chancellor Speaks About Student Protest

By Tommy Lopez

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) – Ole Miss students staged a sit-in Friday at the Lyceum on campus in reaction to a social media comment a student posted.

After nearly four hours, the occupation ended when university administrators met with the movement’s leaders. Students say the University of Mississippi leaders have said they will investigate the comment .

Ole Miss student Jordan Samson posted this on Facebook in response to the protests in Charlotte, North Carolina over the shooting of a black man:

“I have a tree with enough room for all of them if you want to settle this Wild West style.”
wild-west

New York Daily News columnist Shaun King picked up the comment and it quickly went viral.

After word spread, the university issued a statement which said in part:

“Some social media comments suggest or condone actions that are inconsistent with our core values, our university creed and in some cases encourage action in direct violation of university policies.”

The students say that statement fueled the occupation of the Lyceum. Students working with the university chapter of the NAACP say they want a stronger statement directly condemning Samson’s post, asking that Ole Miss discipline him immediately. They want the university to apologize for not taking a stronger stance against the racist statements.

Below are the statements from the student leaders to the university:

1. The University acknowledge that Jordan Samson’s comment was a racist threat of domestic terrorism & take immediate disciplinary action.

2. Administration apologizes for its previous statement that failed to explicitly acknowledge and condemn said act of anti-black racism.

3. Chancellor Vitter release a statement reassuring that future threats & acts of racism will be considered intolerable in our community.

4. Chancellor Vitter agree to work directly w/ student orgs & leaders to proactively confront & address a culture of white supremacy at UM.

Friday evening Vitter released a new statement which directly addressed some of the students request. Below is the text of the statement

This afternoon I learned that a number of students had gathered at the Lyceum to express their concerns about a recent social media post and our response to it. Because I have an open door policy, I invited some of the student leaders to meet with me and other university leaders. The students helped me more fully understand the impact on them of national events and this particular social media post. They expressed great pain, sadness, and concern for their own safety.

To be clear, we condemn the recent social media post by one of our students that referenced lynching. In light of our country’s history, that comment can only be seen as racist, offensive and hurtful, especially to members of our African American community. There is no place in our community for racist or violent acts.

I appreciate the willingness of the student leaders to meet with me and to continue the dialogue. Together, we are committed to moving beyond words toward action, harnessing the transformative power of education to realize the ideals of our Creed.