A Kansas State University student was expelled after a Snapchat photo showing her and a friend in black facial mask went viral. Paige posted an apology publicly on her Facebook page saying “We never intended for the picture to offend anyone”.
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Early Thursday morning, a purported Kansas State University student named Desmund Weathers posted two images on Twitter-one of a Snapchat post of a white woman appearing to wear blackface overlaid with the caption, “Feels good to finally be a nigga”, and another of a woman named Paige Shoemaker’s Facebook profile. This racially offensive photo with a derogatory message has upset the K-State family and is not in concert with our principles of community.
The caption on Snapchat, which we have made a decision to blur, said “feels good to finally be a -” and then refers to the “n word”. “We had only meant for it to be taken in a amusing way”. Her words and actions certainly do not reflect the values and principles of Zeta Tau Alpha. “Where breakfast in the morning is some K-State Family with a side of Racism”.
“On Sept. 15, the university received notice that a derogatory social message and photo was sent out via social media”, said associate provost Zelia Wiley, in a statement.
University spokesman Jeff Morris says neither woman is a student at Kansas State. All members of the K-State family deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. MU’s athletic department is still dealing with the fallout as it recruits student-athletes.
Wiley described an all-hands-on-deck reaction when school officials heard about the photo on Thursday.
K-State also said the campus climate response team has been notified to address this incident. “Such messages on social media are harmful to all”. “The involved person is not now enrolled at the university”. Even Gabrielle Union weighed on in the farce.
He said the school has accomplished a lot in recent years to promote diversity and inclusion.
“I mean, not that this is a good thing but we kind of like, that word kind of happens in our friend group (because) we know that everyone is calm”. According to the student paper The Kansas State Collegian, Shoemaker, as of Thursday afternoon, is no longer enrolled at KSU.
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Weathers told USA TODAY the behavior was not an isolated incident.
