An article on alleged racism more than a decade ago by a former Transylvania University student has caused a social media firestorm, but it’s not because of the content of the story.
Tracey Clayton, a staff writer for BuzzFeed recently penned a story called “A Black Girl’s History With Southern Frat Racism” in response to the recent suspension of the Oklahoma SAE fraternity and expulsion of two students because of a racist chant sung by members…that chant was recorded and went viral.
Clayton, who is black, attended Transylvania University here in Lexington in the early 2000’s. Her article alleges racism during her time on campus, including confederate flags hanging from the windows of a fraternity which she told MSNBC made her feel unsafe and unwelcome. “It kind of blew my mind that I had to explain to people that seeing these confederate flags do not make me feel physically safe. Seeing people walking around draped in these confederate flags do not make me safe and it’s a distraction to me as I’m on the campus spending a bunch of money trying to get an education. So without the trinkets of the Confederacy just strewn all about campus I would have had a lot more energy to focus on what I was there to do.”
The flags have long since been removed and other changes have occurred since Clayton graduated in 2004, the problem today is that Transylvania administrators have sent an e-mail asking students not to talk about the article on social media. Numerous current students and Alumni were outraged which caused the opposite effect, Clayton’s article and subsequent comments have been retweeted and shared at a higher rate since the e-mail was sent, then when the story was published.
On Monday afternoon Transylvania University released the following statement:
Transylvania University’s administration takes the issues raised in Tracy Clayton’s Buzzfeed article to heart. They are important to us as members of the Transylvania community. Her essay stresses the need for us to face our past together, but it also calls us to note the progress that has been made.
Transylvania has in recent years intentionally pursued creating a more diverse community. For instance, minority students made up just 3% of the incoming class of 2001; in 2014 the incoming class was 18% minority. Half of our senior administrators are women; one of those women is a racial minority. Three new residence halls are being constructed. Two of them replace the Clay and Davis residence halls. Most importantly, the naming opportunities for these buildings will go to members of our contemporary community whose life stories inspire our students to become moral beacons and leaders in their communities wherever they serve.
This progress reflects the irrepressible will of the Transylvania community to continuously improve. While every institution has shortcomings, there is no better place than the college campus to expand and deepen our moral compass and clarify the path that leads us to realize our highest selves. This is the primary function of a broad-based liberal arts education. It is also one of the reasons we invest time and resources to enroll a diverse student body.
We believe our students will continue to be leaders of their communities in the future as so many Transylvania graduates have been in the past. We believe a Transylvania education can produce not only articulate and riveting self-criticism but also the capacity and will to change.