Students call for action

Arkansas State University received multiple reports of racially discriminatory language over the snow break.

Following these incidents, the A-State Young Democrats (Young Dems) held a protest on the Heritage Plaza Lawn Friday in criticism of A-State’s response. 

Inciting Incidents 

The first incident occurred at the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity house the week of Jan. 31. A Snapchat photo of a shirtless man with racist language and symbols written on his back was posted; the location was tagged at the fraternity house. The photo quickly spread around campus, causing widespread outrage.

AGR President Drake Cook declined to comment and deferred to a statement from the fraternity’s national office. In the statement, the national organization condemned the behavior depicted in the photo.

“This behavior is unacceptable and is a complete contradiction of the purpose, values, and principles of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity,” the release stated. “The Fraternity does not tolerate any hate–based conduct or actions of any kind.”

The statement also confirmed the person in the picture is neither a member of AGR nor an A-State student. No action against AGR has been verified.

The second report of discriminatory language at A-State originated from Pack Place, again during the week of Jan. 31. Resident Isabell Dickerson recorded and posted a video to Facebook of a conversation in a dorm room where a racial slur, allegedly used to describe her, could be heard through a closed door. 

Dickerson, a junior disaster preparedness major from Bryant, Arkansas, said that, leading up to the incident, there was miscommunication about the checkout time for her housing assignment. She said she needed to move out as construction forced her to relocate and was told she could leave some of her belongings, as she would be allowed to move back in after work on the dorm was finished. 

However, the Resident Assistant (RA) did not finish checkout because a rule requires that checkout can be completed only after all items are removed from the room. Dickerson said she was told to talk to Housing the next day to clarify. She said the incident with the racial slur occurred after this meeting was over.

“After gathering a few items, I walked to my new room. While in the hallway, I heard the RA inside another apartment discussing me loudly with multiple people present,” Dickerson said. “He shared my floor location, which is captured on video, and made comments such as claiming I was ‘high’ and mocking my business. I did not confront them and reported the incident that same night.”

She said the RA did not use the slur, but rather someone else in the room with him. Dickerson said multiple witnesses to the conversation were also in the room. 

“During the investigation, another individual in the room admitted to using the racial slur,” Dickerson said. “I had never met that individual before.”

Dickerson said she believes this situation could have been avoided if her housing information had been kept confidential and not shared with other students. 

Shortly after the first video was posted, Dickerson posted an audio recording to Facebook. Dickerson said the recording depicts a conversation between her and Tiffany Mosley, director of institutional integrity and Title IX. 

She said Mosley told her that, because the individual was in the privacy of his dorm room, his speech was protected under the First Amendment. 

“He’s allowed to call anybody that. He was in the privacy of his own home, and in all honesty, Isabell, you were in more wrong than he was, but nobody’s wanting to hold you accountable for that. That’s not something anybody wants to take on,” the recording from Dickerson’s Facebook said.

Arkansas is a one-party consent state. This means, to receive consent to record a conversation, one individual who is participating in the conversation must provide their consent for recording. 

According to Hickey and Hull Law Partners, other people speaking in the conversation do not need to give their consent and the recording can be completed with the other person’s knowledge.

Mosley declined to comment and deferred to Chancellor Todd Shields’ statement from a campus-wide email sent Feb. 1. This statement addressed both of these situations as a whole, but did not openly address racism, rather hate in general. 

“While we honor each person’s individual beliefs and values, we also expect all members of our community to act with integrity and accountability in both their words and their actions,” Shields’ statement said.

Following the administration’s response, Dickerson said she is exploring options for reporting beyond the university. 

“I believe there should be a clear zero-tolerance policy toward hate speech on campus and stronger enforcement of confidentiality and reporting protections,” Dickerson said. “This occurred in a university residential environment where students should feel safe. When multiple incidents occur close together, it impacts students’ perception of campus climate and whether they feel comfortable in their living and learning environment.”

Dickerson said this situation is serious and should not be overlooked. 

“Casual racism is not a joke,” Dickerson said. “Even a single incident affects whether students trust the reporting process. When concerns are minimized, students may stop reporting altogether. Reporting is not about punishment; it is about safety, accountability, and trust in the institution.”

She said the goal of her posts was to show she is a regular student who followed proper procedure in reporting incidents involving racial discrimination. She said she was not seeking conflict or attention. 

The RA on duty at the time of the incident did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

After Isabell released the audio recording between her and the Title IX office, Young Dems began organizing a protest.

Students respond with protest

John Thompson, vice president of Young Dems and a sophomore political science major from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, said he helped organize the event to support Isabell.

“We are here because one of our own, a student at this campus, Isabell, was called one of the oldest and most hateful slurs in American history. She didn’t just imagine it. She didn’t misunderstand it. She didn’t mishear it,” Thompson said. “She heard it so clearly that it blasted beyond four walls and into all of our cell phones on every social media platform. That’s what people think of this university now, but that is not us; that is not the case.”

Thompson said Title IX’s response to Dickerson was negligent.

“When she went to that office, she was seeking protection, and she got nothing,” Thompson said. “In fact, she got blamed.”

According to the Constitution, the First Amendment states the government can’t abridge a person’s freedom of speech; however, that doesn’t mean one is protected from the consequences of their speech.

However, in his speech at the event, Thompson said the Constitution has amendments protecting harmful acts dating back to the 1800s.

“They say, ‘Oh, don’t get emotional. It’s the First Amendment.’ I don’t care. Don’t tell me that, because they told my ancestors, it’s the Fifth Amendment to own you. The 14th Amendment, we’re going to segregate you, but it’s equal,” Thompson said. “It’s separate, but it’s equal. We know the lies. We know the manipulation that you play in your head, trying to justify what happened because you’re too scared to stand up to this.”

Izzie Stanton, Young Dems president and first-year nursing major from Jonesboro, followed Thompson’s speech. She said the protest’s turnout is significant.

Attendance grew as the protest continued, with more students and faculty joining the crowd with signs and support. 

“It shows that this community cares, that we support one another, and that we believe our campus should be a place where everyone feels respected and safe. We are not just here to speak. We are here because we’re asking for action,” Stanton said.

The protest was widely covered by various Arkansas media organizations, including Jonesboro Right Now, K8, Democrat-Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun. 

Chauncy Betts, a junior strategic communications major from McGehee, Arkansas, said he’s glad the crowd continued to grow. 

“I’m glad the faculty and staff members showed their faces like that, and showed that they do support our actions and what the protest is all about,” Betts said. “I’m proud of John. He’s a mentee of mine. He’s a wonderful student leader, and I’m proud of him for what he did today.” 

The Young Dems president read a list of demands aimed at the A-State administration. 

The demands include the university publicly acknowledging the alleged racist remarks, starting an independent investigation into the situation and changing the student handbook to reflect clear expectations that protect students.

“We understand these requests may be complex,” Stanton said. “But we are asking that they be met with seriousness and respect. We’re asking to be heard. We’re asking for meaningful action that reflects the value this community claims to stand for,” Stanton said.

A segment of the protest allowed students and faculty to approach the microphone to share their thoughts and opinions on the situation. 

Asia Simmons, a senior social work major from Jacksonville, Arkansas, said they were gathered on the lawn not to embarrass, humiliate or degrade A-State or the administration, but to express their feelings toward how the institution handled the incident.

“It took three days for recognition, three days for your student body to lose trust, hope that the school that they chose to support their dreams of breaking generational curses, tossing societal barriers and loosening the grip of self doubt would not take three minutes to inform the student body, to apologize and to truly show that this behavior has no place at Arkansas State,” Simmons said. 

Amouria Maufas, a sophomore data analytics major from West Memphis, Arkansas, said she urged everyone who felt the weight of the hateful events to speak out. 

“There is power in presence. Keep going to class, keep turning in your work. Do not leave this campus without the degree you worked for. And never stop advocating for yourselves, keep speaking your truths,” Maufas said. 

Tiffany Chaney, Dickerson’s roommate, also spoke at the protest. Chaney, a sophomore wildlife conservation major from Vilonia, Arkansas, said Dickerson is one of the kindest people she’s ever met and did not deserve what happened to her.

“She showed me the video and the phone call before it was ever published, and I’m the one who told her to go to Title IX,” Chaney said. “We had a pipe burst and we had to move out, and she was rightfully frustrated, and she got discriminated against because of that.”

Faculty also spoke at the protest.

Lucy Barnhouse, assistant professor of history, said she was proud to have members of the crowd in her classroom.

“As a history professor, I love hearing all of you talk about the importance of history and the richness of history and your power to act and change history,” Barnhouse said.

Shamal Carter, who is running for District 36 in the Arkansas House of Representatives, gave the closing remarks.

“Standing up against racism does not require hate in return. It requires courage, discipline and a commitment to justice. It requires choosing peace when provoked and choosing integrity when tested. Change doesn’t happen overnight,” Carter said. “I’m standing here before you as an alumni, as a leader in this community, to tell you that we’ve come a long way, yet we have a long way to go. As students, as Greek organizations, as school clubs, understand the importance of you being here today.”

Administration responds with emails

While Shields and other members of the administration didn’t show up for the protest, both A-State and the ASU System Office sent out a second statement that day. 

“The Arkansas State University System takes allegations of racism and discrimination seriously across all its campuses,” the ASU System Office statement read. “The responsibility for conducting Title IX and institutional integrity investigations rests with the ASU System Office, not with individual campus leadership.”

The Arkansas State University statement said hate speech and discrimination are not aligned with the values of campus and have no place at A-State.

“When students do not feel safe, supported, or feel that they do not belong, they cannot be expected to learn, trust or thrive,” the statement read. “The university remains committed to fostering a campus community where every individual is respected, supported, heard, and we continue to work intentionally to uphold these standards.” 

Jerry Don Burton | Editor-in-Chief, contributed to this report.

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