On page one of this week’s newspaper, the Cigar covers a story about a racist direct message sent to a player on the Miami Dolphins from a University of Rhode Island graduate student.
First, the Cigar condemns the racist words and messages the student used. We do not tolerate racism at the Cigar. In the aftermath, we offer a platform for students to submit their thoughts and ideas around this issue through sending letters to the editor to [email protected].
Second, the University is legally obligated not to share the student’s name due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It is unclear whether or not the Cigar falls under the same purview as student journalists. The Cigar has sought advice from alumni and journalists and received unclear answers. Out of fear of legal action, the Cigar will not publish the student’s name at this time.
It was a challenging decision whether to proceed with naming the student or not to. Accountability is important in the discipline of journalism; it’s our job to hold people responsible for their actions. The weight of refraining from publication is palpable, but the fear of legal repercussions is substantial.
We feel we cannot fulfill the entirety of our jobs as journalists in a situation like this. Because of this, accountability also needs to be a priority we see from the University outright. The Cigar will continue to be vigilant in reporting on measures that are taken or not taken in the future.
The NFL player, Emmanuel Ogbah, tweeted a screenshot of the direct message the student sent him, including the individual’s name and Instagram handle. While we cannot presently name the individual, we can say the student is enrolled in a graduate school program at URI and also serves as a Teaching Assistant for a class in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. These comments should not be tolerated from any student and certainly not one in a leadership position.
URI President Marc Parlange highlighted important resources and means of community support in his campus-wide email sent out on Sunday night. We encourage any students that need support at this time to take advantage of these resources, and also read the comments from Chief Diversity Officer Mary Grace Almandrez in the news story on page one.
Normally, the Cigar would not run an editorial in response to an article, but in this event, the reasoning behind this situation needed to be addressed directly.