Protests at UConn over Video of Students Yelling Racial Slurs

Two white UConn students were charged with ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race for shouting racial slurs on October 11. (Wikimedia Commons)

Campus police arrested two students at the University of Connecticut on October 21. The students, Jarred Karal and Ryan Mucaj, had been caught on camera shouting racial slurs outside student apartments. The incident has sparked student protests at the public university.

An African American student recorded a video of the event from inside his apartment. The eleven-second clip shows three students walking across the parking lot of a campus housing apartment complex, and two of them can be heard repeatedly yelling a racial slur. According to the police report, the students’ yells were part of a game. 

The video circulated quickly, generating student protests demanding stronger responses to racial prejudice on campus and calls for administrative action.

The university chapter of the NAACP was also vocal in the public outcry after the event. The club released a list of eight demands in an editorial in a campus newspaper. The demands include hiring more African American administrators and creating a course on diversity and inclusion for incoming freshmen. 

The NAACP also demanded an investigation of an on-campus fraternity, Delta Epsilon Psi, that had a similar incident on October 12. Two members of the fraternity were accused of calling a female student racial slurs during a party. These two events in the past few weeks have increased tension on campus. 

Thomas Katsouleas, the president of the university, has attempted to respond to the incidents. Katsouleas attended the protests and briefly addressed the crowd. “I’m really here to listen and to learn from you,” he said. “I’m also here to show you my support. My message to the world is that if you are not for equality and respect then I am not for you.” The school also announced a new search for a Chief Diversity Officer.  

The students arrested were charged with ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race. The maximum punishment for this crime is 30 days in jail, a small fine, or a combination of the two. The students have been released from police custody and will appear in court on October 30.