A fraternity member at the University of Southern California yelled a racist slur at the school’s student body president, Rini Sampath, on Saturday, Sampath said. Sampath, who was born in India, wrote a Facebook post about the incident Sunday where she explained what happened and how it was indicative of a larger problem with racism on USC’s campus and beyond.
“I’m still in a state of shock,” she wrote on Facebook. “There’s an indescribable hollowness in me, but I’m going public with this because this can’t continue.”
The Washington Post reports that the university and several students reached out to Sampath after her post, and that USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni has asked Sampath to file a formal complaint with the university.
Sampath made it clear in her post that her attack was not an isolated incident, bringing up Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh man who was attacked by a driver in Illinois, and University of Missouri Student Association president Payton Head, who recently had slurs yelled at him as well.
The USC student paper, the Daily Trojan, responded to Sampath's post with an opinion piece talking about the need for the school to finally take action.
"The student body and the student press should watch and ensure that USC and Sampath follow through with their promises to fight discrimination at USC," the author wrote. "The University has a long history of hosting talks, but problems persist."
Tuesday, Sampath published a follow-up post acknowledging the support she had received and asking for input on how to make change at USC.
I am so touched by the outpouring of love and support I have received from everyone. Thank you for taking the time to be...
Posted by Rini Sampath on Tuesday, September 22, 2015
“Many people have asked how they can help,” she wrote. “This is it. We must rise from these moments together. Our student government and I want to hear from you.”
Incidents like what happened to Sampath are terrifying because they show how unsafe colleges can still be for students of color. Sampath was elected president by her peers, but she still can’t walk down the street without fear of being harrassed or attacked based on what she looks like. What do you think colleges and universities can do to improve?
