At 1 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, LBC Homecoming Court practices for one of their events this Homecoming week at Traditions Plaza when a white student calls them all “niggers.”

Chancellor, this is the second time in a month that black students at your university have been disrespected in the cruelest of ways. Our black community is wondering what you’ll do this time, Chancellor. Will you actually take the time out of your schedule to ensure your students feel welcome on this campus?

See, it occurs to me that you hide behind your Diversity Initiative. You, Chancellor, recruit thousands of black students to come to this university, giving them enough money so they may afford college, and that’s a blessing in itself, but when they show up on campus, after you’ve achieved your numbers, you abandon them. You abandon them to the harassment of your white counterparts and allow them to be harassed, insulted and belittled. Here on this campus, you choose to favor white students, not implementing any type of repercussions for those who exhibit such foul behavior.

When, Chancellor, will you address your multicultural and diverse students with true feelings, instead of hiding behind a [Transparency Report](https://transparency.missouri.edu/)? If MU were truly transparent, you would tell these black individuals who you’re recruiting that [“Racism Lives Here”](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/9/25/protest-reminds-students-faculty-racism-lives-here/) at MU. If MU were truly transparent, you’d tell us what you really feel about these “acts of bias and discrimination.” I am truly disappointed, Chancellor.

I’ve seen racism and ignorance, but I’ve never known white people to be so comfortable using the word “nigger,” especially in an educational institution. It should make you uncomfortable, it should make you sick, but instead, no one bats an eye at the white students who are part of your institution here. It is almost a normalcy. Is that OK with you? Acts of racism and the use of the word “nigger” are normal in your institution.

And may I call attention to the irony of the location of this incident taking place at Traditions Plaza? We are all aware of the history of our university and the state it resides in. Isn’t it a shame that even the most abhorrent “traditions” of both communities never die? Will this “tradition” continue, Chancellor, or will you speak up for the other students who attend this university, other than your white counterparts? Aren’t you a representation of all of us? Isn’t it your job to lead us? Isn’t it your job to make sure that every student feels safe and welcome on your campus? Isn’t it your job to run the University of Missouri-Columbia?

You’re not doing your job, Chancellor. You’re letting people run this show for you, and they’re steering it the wrong way. When will you take the reins, Chancellor? When will you step up to your true position and show the country that MU cares about _all of its students_? They’re watching us, Chancellor. The country has been watching you and MU since Payton Head’s experience began to trend nationally. What will you show them?