A Snapchat account named sau_stories posted a video during the annual Black Christian Union (BCU) Night on Saturday, Feb. 3. The video was captioned with a racial slur in reference to the night. It was shared on Twitter by a BCU member right after the event, and then retweeted by students, alumni and some members of the greater Adventist community, sparking intense debates on Twitter and Facebook.
Much of the discussion followed a statement posted by Student Association President Phillip Warfield telling Southern students to “stop feeding this attention seeking troll who obviously doesn’t reflect who we are,” and to not let the actions of one person destroy the unification students have built throughout the year.
President Dave Smith released an official statement addressing the incident Sunday afternoon.
According to Southern Administration, students came forward to confirm that the person that runs the initial account is a former student who is no longer affiliated with the university.
“During our first convocation of the school year, the student body made this pledge: ‘I will show respect for all members of the university community—their lives, property, and environment,” the statement reads. “‘This includes respect for diversity, ethical use of communication technologies, and community service.’ All students are expected to honor this pledge.”
Ariana Guptill, senior English major, feel that there is no place for hate on campus.
“It makes me both sad and mad that people feel they need to put people down, no matter what the reason is,” Guptill said. “Despite what people say or what they choose to see, we are a Christian school, and personally, I feel proud to be a student at our University and love all of the inclusiveness that goes on around campus.”
Bradley Hutchinson, a BCU officer, said that he was not surprised by the events that unfolded due to the culture at Southern.