Transylvania University Student Says She Received Racist Messages Regarding Her DACA Status
On September 10, Transylvania University student Paola Mendoza uploaded a video to YouTube titled "Please Help." In it, she explained that she was being cyberbullied and threatened after a fellow student allegedly posted her information and status as a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which President Donald Trump recently rescinded. Now BuzzFeed News reports that the student, Taylor Ragg, is no longer attending the Kentucky college.
"Over the summer, a student at Transylvania University posted me on a racial hatred page called the Tenth Crusade Enthusiasts with the comment, 'Everyone go report this illegal at my school bragging about breaking the law,'" Paola alleged in her video. "That night I received numerous messages on Facebook from members of that group threatening me with ICE. Someone actually sent me pictures of them filling out a tip form to Homeland Security." She also detailed a number of the racially charged messages she received from some of the page's members.
She explains that she took screenshots of the messages and reported the abuse to school officials. Yet she says that she was told that Taylor's "actions don't violate the school's nondiscrimination policy," but she points out that "if you read it, it's obvious that he did. And it just doesn't make sense to me how that was their conclusion."
The nondescrimination policy on the school's website reads as follows: "Transylvania University is committed to ensuring that the institution is free of harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious belief or veteran's status or any other category protected by applicable state or federal law or local ordinance." What's more, the policy "applies to all faculty, staff, administration, supervisors, employees, students, applicants, volunteers and visitors to campus, including guests, patrons, independent contractors, vendors or clients of Transylvania University."
Though the people who sent Paola messages may not have been Transylvania University students, Taylor was a student at the time of his Facebook post. (Taylor has since deleted his Facebook, BuzzFeed News reports.) On September 13, according to BuzzFeed News, university vice president for marketing and communications Michele Gaither Sparks emailed students to inform them that Taylor was no longer enrolled at Transylvania University. When asked for more information, Gaither Sparks would not tell BuzzFeed News whether he had left voluntarily or been expelled.
In an emailed statement to Teen Vogue, Gaither Sparks wrote, "From the time the complaint was filed, Transylvania University wanted to ensure that all university policies and procedures were followed and that the matter was taken seriously. Mr. Ragg is no longer enrolled at the university following this grievance process.”
Related: Students Are Staging WALKOUTS After Trump’s DACA Decision
