COLUMBIA, Mo. (KCTV) – Two people are banned from the University of Missouri after reports of racial incidents targeting Black students on campus.

Members of the university’s black student government say more needs to be done to protect students, but realize there is little the university can do from a legal standpoint.

The meeting took place Wednesday after the Legion of Black Collegians, or LBC, learned that two of its members were targeted while walking near the Gaines/Oldham Black Cultural Center on October 6. In a social media post, LBC said a van full of white men shouted the N-word then drove off.

In a second incident, another student was targeted in the same way according to the group.

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A Mizzou spokesperson said the University of Missouri Office of Institutional Equity and the University of Missouri Police Department are investigating the allegations.

According to the university:

• The driver in each incident is identified as a minor
• Neither driver is a student or employee
• Neither driver is authorized to be on campus, except in very special circumstances

“We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment on our campus. We encourage any member of our campus community experiencing this type of behavior to contact the Office of Institutional Equity (equity.missouri.edu). If you feel unsafe on campus, call MUPD immediately. We must all work together to protect our community from this unacceptable behavior,” said Travis Zimpfer, a spokesperson for the University of Missouri.

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Mizzou also responded to LBC on Instagram with a statement from President Mun Y. Choi.

Choi said he contacted the affected students on Oct. 13 and shared his regrets about their experiences.

Choi then described steps taken during an investigation into what happened.

• I used campus video cameras to identify individuals that leaders say were involved in this month’s racial incidents.
• Prohibited to minors on campus
• University explores additional sanctions available against individuals

The Legion of Black Collegians said incidents like the two reported are not unique on Mizzou’s campus and more needs to be done.

The organization filed an incident form with the Office of Institutional Equity to allow the school to remedy the situation.

The Legion then released a list of demands and gave Mizzou 30 days to respond.

REQUIREMENTS

The Legion of Black Collegians demands that the university:

1. Turns our incident report into a formal complaint and provides affected individuals with rights and options.
2. Honor our pre-scheduled meeting for the end of October.
3. Outlines broad consequences for engaging in this misconduct within the Division of Student Accountability and Support, including but not limited to expulsion, suspension, removal from executive board activities, etc.
4. Maintains regular use of campus cameras to monitor this behavior
5. Issues a statement disclosing the results of the investigation, condemning these and previous incidents, and listing concrete steps that university students, faculty, and staff will take to prevent this incident from happening again.

Following Wednesday’s meeting with President Choi, the group said it understands that the university is in a position where there is little it can do from a legal standpoint.

In a statement, LBC leaders said the group plans to contact the school districts the two minors attend to seek additional sanctions. The group said it was also exploring the possibility of beefing up security, including monitoring cameras more frequently.

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The group expressed concern that banning minors is the only action the university can realistically take at this point.

The Legion said its current goal is to increase safety so other students don’t have to deal with incidents like the one that happened this month.

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Students who believe they are victims of discrimination of any kind are asked to contact the university’s Office of Institutional Equity (equity.missouri.edu). Students who feel unsafe on campus should call campus police immediately.

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