Over 11.5 million people have viewed a viral video posted by a University of Mississippi student, which features doorbell camera footage of three female students walking past her apartment on Friday, Nov. 6. The footage showed two students making monkey noises and gestures at the door.
The incident took place at 8:37 p.m. on Friday, according to the timestamped footage. The student who resided at the apartment where the incident occurred posted the footage to her personal TikTok account on Saturday, Nov. 7, gaining widespread media attention.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead issued a statement to the campus community on Sunday evening, Nov. 8, confirming the university is investigating the incident. The Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance are reviewing the incident.
“While student privacy laws limit what we can share about individual students, including any potential disciplinary action, please know that this matter is being taken seriously,” Mead’s statement said.
The statement highlighted that one of the three students, whose names have circulated on social media, was incorrectly identified.
Additionally, online speculation asserted the three students were members of the Iota Omega chapter of the Alpha Phi sorority. Mead verified that no members of University of Mississippi sororities were involved in the incident.
The university’s Alpha Phi chapter posted on Instagram on Nov. 7, addressing false allegations that the three students under investigation were members of, or at any time affiliated with, the chapter.
“These reports appear to have confused (the students involved in the incident) with (Alpha Phi) members who have similar names,” the chapter’s statement said. “This false identification has caused real distress to the misidentified women, their families and our chapter. We ask everyone who has shared these claims to remove or correct their posts and to stop circulating our members’ names, photos or personal information.”
The chapter said it is working with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Alpha Phi executive office to correct false information circulated regarding its members.
Black Student Union (BSU) President Demetrick M. Stringer Jr. also issued a statement on Nov. 7 on Instagram, condemning the behavior of the three students involved in the incident.
“Comparisons of this kind carry a long and painful history, and directing them at a student where she lives has left her, and many of our members, feeling unwelcome and unsafe. The Black Student Union condemns this behavior, and we stand firmly with our fellow student,” Stringer’s statement said.
Stringer urged that the students found responsible should receive disciplinary action proportionate to race-based harassment in accordance with university policies. The BSU statement alleged that students involved in the incident were first-year members of the university community, calling upon the institution to strengthen how students are introduced to the university’s values through the UM Creed. The creed, a statement of the university’s core values, includes a commitment to respect the dignity of each person.
Mead emphasized in her statement that actions involved in the incident do not align with the university’s standards.
“Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community,” Mead’s statement said. “We remain committed to ensuring our actions reflect the foundational values of dignity and respect for every individual and fostering an environment where all students are cared for and feel they belong.”
The University Counseling Center and UMatter are available for free to students needing support.
