“As a public university, we are legally obligated to uphold the principles of freedom of expression embodied in the First Amendment to the Constitution,” Clif Smart, president of Missouri State University, wrote in a public statement. “Video, as hurtful, insensitive and offensive as it is, is protected by the First Amendment, as is the language in social media posts.”
The most recent student to face the consequences is 18-year-old Nate Panza, a soccer recruit from Cornell University in Watchung, NJ, who was recorded using racial slur in a Snapchat video in late June. “Oh wait, you can’t put that,” he says on the recording.
The video quickly spread on Twitter, and although he issued an apology, Panza lost his place on the soccer team the next day, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. But the move failed to calm calls to revoke her offer of admission, even in an online petition signed by more than 400 people.
On Tuesday, the student newspaper reported that Panza would no longer attend Cornell, although the exact reason remains unclear.
Mr. Panza could not be reached, and a university spokeswoman declined to comment.
At a time when many American institutions have openly expressed their opposition to racism, Cornell’s silence contrasts sharply with other universities, including the University of Richmond, which announced last week that it had rescinded its offer of admission to the student who recorded the video. Mr. Panza and who can also be heard using a racial slur while mentioning Mr. Floyd.
The video “did not reflect the University’s values or its commitment to a prosperous and inclusive community,” according to a statement the university posted on Twitter, saying the student’s actions violated admission standards.
In the face of mounting public pressure on recent episodes, many other universities have adopted a similar approach. In early June, Marquette University, a private Catholic school in Milwaukee, announced that it had rescinded its offer of admission and an athletic scholarship to a white student who had proclaimed on Snapchat that “it’s okay to kneel on someone’s head” because some people think kneeling during the national anthem is acceptable.
