Schools
College Student From South Jersey Expelled After Racist Rant
A college student from New Jersey has been expelled after posting a racist rant on social media.
TUSCALOOSA, AL - The University of Alabama has expelled a New Jersey woman after she posted multiple racist rants on social media. The rants went viral after Alabama star running back Damien Harris commented on the posts and brought them to the attention of his followers.
Harley Barber of Marlton told The New York Post Wednesday she had been expelled from the university and was headed back home to New Jersey. "I feel so, so bad and I am so sorry," she told The Post.
One of her rants can be seen here (CAUTION: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)
Find out what's happening in Moorestownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
LMAOOOOO BRO SHE SO BOLD.... yeah her life over after these videos lmaooo pic.twitter.com/1vYt80ACkr
— Tabarius da Feminist (@TabisBack) January 16, 2018
"I did something really, really bad," Barber told The Post. "I don't know what to do and I feel horrible. I'm wrong and there's just no excuse for what I did."
Barber identified herself in one of the videos as a member of Alpha Phi sorority. A statement by Alpha Phi International Fraternity stated that Barber was no longer a member of the sorority: "Alpha Phi is a diverse, values-based organization and condemns the language and opinions in these videos. They are offensive and hateful to both our own members and to other members of the Greek and campus community.
Find out what's happening in Moorestownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"The Beta Mu chapter leadership and supporting alumnae moved quickly to address the offense, and Ms. Barber is no longer a member of Alpha Phi."
The University of Alabama responded on Twitter to Harris' tweet, saying the student's comments are not acceptable and that the school is looking into the matter.
These remarks are ignorant and disturbing and in no way reflect the values of The University of Alabama. This unfortunate behavior has been reported to the Office of Student Conduct as it does not align with the community expectations of students at the Capstone.
— The Univ. of Alabama (@UofAlabama) January 16, 2018
The incident is certainly not the first racially charged incident on the campus, as the school has a long history of making headlines for racial insensitivity. However, the university has made strides in recent years to promote tolerance and diversity, especially since the student body has increased in number exponentially in the last two decades and more than half the students are from out of state.
With reporting by Michael Seale, Patch Staff
YouTube video/photo
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.