MU responds to alleged racist incident that targeted international students
The University of Missouri is responding to an alleged racist incident that targeted MU international students off-campus.
Yesterday, the Missouri International Student Council tweeted out the following statement, saying two international students were “verbally attacked in an obscene matter” last weekend.
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In the statement, MISC asked the university to recognize the incident and spread awareness on campus. The Missouri Students Association and the Graduate Professional Council responded with the following statement:
To the MU Community:
We, the leaders of the Missouri Students Association and the Graduate Professional Council, were upset to hear about a near-campus incident over the weekend where some members of our international community were made to feel unwelcome. Mizzou and the broader Columbia community are stronger because of the diversity and perspective that our international students, colleagues and scholars bring to our part of the world. We are immensely grateful for their presence as well as for their contributions.
The University of Missouri is proud to prepare its graduates to enter the global workforce. As part of this preparation, we introduce each of our students to new ideas and to cultures that take them beyond their own affinity groups, and we give them the tools they need to navigate a dynamic world. Together we are stronger, and together we become better versions of ourselves. We regret that the individual who voiced this hateful speech has so much growing left to do.
As student leaders, we are also privileged to see every day the genuinely Excellent contributions that our international colleagues make to Mizzou, Columbia, and to the state of Missouri. Our University would not be the vibrant, AAU, public research institution we are today with the contributions of so many of the international community. The people of Missouri and our country have benefited from a number of technological and academic breakthroughs that have raised our collective quality of life. Our community is a large one and we encourage everyone to open their hearts. We encourage every member of the Mizzou community to immerse yourself in the wonderful cross-cultural experiences, such as those hosted by MISC, AAC, LBC, LGPN, ABGBS, Four Front, the MU Womens Center and LGBTQ Resource Center, and others.
We don’t know what may have motivated the individual who made the comment. Each person is a work in progress, and we extend our genuine hope for healing. In the meantime, we emphasize our gratitude to all who make Mizzou the diverse institution it is. Inclusion is the recipe for Excellence. We are better together!
Nathan Willett, MSA President and Alex Howe, GPC President
MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright and Vice Chancellor Kevin McDonald also released the following statement:
Yesterday, it was reported to us that inappropriate, offensive comments were made to two international students who were walking near the campus over the weekend. Such behavior is unacceptable and contrary to our values as an institution. When members of our campus community have been targeted by hurtful acts, we must respond with unity and unwavering support.
We want to emphasize that this campus embraces our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence. To live out our values and espouse our Principles of Community, we must commit ourselves to creating a campus that is both safe and inclusive for all students. We applaud our undergraduate, graduate and international student leaders for living our values and supporting inclusion of all students. We encourage anyone who witnesses behavior that is not representative of our foundational principles to report the behavior to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX immediately.
Only by working together will we create a campus community that is welcoming and supportive of all who enter it.
The person was not identified and the incident was not reported to police, so no further action will be taken.
All new undergraduate students at MU are required to take a Citizenship@Mizzou course. According to the website, “Citizenship@Mizzou is a two-hour interactive program designed to introduce students to the values of Mizzou and to the ways in which we engage with issues of citizenship on a richly varied and diverse campus.”
