KITCHENER -- Many people are expressing outrage after a number of racist videos were shared online by local university students over the past week.
The videos, posted to social media sites like Instagram and TikTok, included anti-Black slurs.
Some people are calling for the schools to take action by either disciplining or expelling the students.
Both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph tweeted out that they were made aware of the posts and apologized for their impact.
One Guelph student, who shared a racist TikTok video last week, will be disciplined.
The University of Guelph tells CTV News: “Be assured that we have action plans, involving disciplinary proceedings, anti-oppression training, and the promotion of educational programs and the importance of allyship.”
But how responsible are post-secondary institutions for the actions of students while they’re off-campus?
“I think what a university will look at is, to what extent does this conduct impact the student community or the individual students?” says lawyer Gregory Ko.
Many school now have non-academic Codes of Conduct for students.
Aimee Morrison, a professor with the University of Waterloo, researches how people represent themselves online.
“If you say something outrageous you’re more likely to get attention,” she says. “It really promotes us being outrageous online in ways that maybe diminish our opportunities in the future, to be more nuanced grown-ups.”
Morrison says everyone needs to think about the consequences before posting on social media.
“When you say things online, it’s the same thing as saying it on the front page of the newspaper,” she says. “That advice has been around for a long time. If you don’t want it on the front page of the newspaper, don’t put it on your social media.”
The University of Guelph’s non-academic misconduct policy reads, in part: “Allegations regarding other off-campus conduct, including online conduct, may be brought forward under this Policy if the violation in question materially affects the safety, integrity or educational interests of the University community or as provided under the Community Standards Protocol.”
All universities post their Codes of Conduct online.
