USC to focus on ‘problems of incivility’ after racist photo

The University of South Carolina is holding events this week for students to discuss their reactions to a photo showing a student writing on a white board with a racial slur.

After the photo surfaced on the Internet, the school suspended a student who also faces code of conduct investigations, USC President Harris Pastides said in a statement Friday.

So far this year, 26 students have been suspended from the university, which has nearly 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students, according to USC spokesman Wes Hickman.

The number of USC students suspended each school year has ranged from a low of 20 in 2010-11 to a high of 72 in 2012-13. Last school year, 41 students were suspended. “Offenses that jeopardize the safety of others are the most common that result in suspension,” Hickman said.

Hickman said there is an appeals process for student suspensions.

He would not say whether the student suspended Friday was the same as the one in the photo or how long the suspension would last.

“Student conduct cases and student information are protected by federal law, and I am not able to comment on the student’s identity,” Hickman wrote in an email.

He also would not comment on which rule the suspended student specifically violated, citing federal law.

The controversial photo shows a white female writing on a whiteboard with the slur about African-Americans.

The racial slur was listed as among the reasons why USC’s wireless Internet connections operate poorly, along with “overpopulated campus” and “incompetent professors.” The student is writing the word “parking” in the photo.

The S.C. NAACP issued a statement over the weekend saying the racist comment is evidence that some “wish they were still in Dixie.”

USC’s code of conduct, posted on its website, prohibits discriminatory harassment.

“Harassment of any person or group of persons on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetics or veteran status will not be tolerated by the University of South Carolina,” the policy states.

The policy says discriminatory harassment includes oral, written graphic or physical conduct “that has the purpose or reasonably foreseeable effect of creating an offensive, demeaning, intimidating or hostile environment. ...”

Employees, students or student organizations who violate the policy can be fired or expelled from school, the policy states.

The university is holding events to encourage students to consider the Carolinian Creed and “pose solutions to the problems of incivility present at colleges nationwide,” according to an online announcement.

A student organization, Students Invested in Change, will host Unite USC, a town hall meeting to discuss the Carolinian Creed, and whether “the recent incident reflects the true nature of the USC family” from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Russell House ballroom.

“The Carolinian Creed is the statement of values by which all members of our community agree to abide,” Hickman said. “It makes clear that civility and respect for all (are at) the heart of our community and discourages prohibited conduct like discrimination and harassment.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 9:58 PM with the headline "USC to focus on ‘problems of incivility’ after racist photo."