The University of Florida has suspended a faculty member who rushed mostly black graduates off the stage during a commencement ceremony.
What We Know:
- The white employee, described as a chemistry lecturer, has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to AL.com.
- Videos of the ceremony show the lecturer pushing and restraining black students who were “strolling,” or celebrating their achievement through actions like dancing, or what one graduate told The Gainesville Sun is “a cultural tradition in historically black fraternities and sororities.”
- University President W. Kent Fuchs apologized for the incident and called the employee’s conduct “inappropriately aggressive.”
- The University President has said he will reach out to all of the students individually to apologize.
- Students who were affected by the employee’s behavior called the experience “embarrassing and degrading.” Videos of the incident have since gone viral, and the school’s Black Student Union has called on the administration to “create positive tangible change” for future ceremonies.
This story will be updated at Urban Newsroom.
See something we should share? Let us know!
