Marquette University in Milwaukee rescinded an incoming freshman student’s admission offer and scholarship after screenshots of her Snapchat posts about the death of George Floyd were revealed.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that the posts circulated quickly across Twitter, drawing public outrage for an “offensive comment” about former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s action of kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while arresting him until he lost consciousness.
“Some ppl think it’s ok to (expletive) kneel during the national anthem so it’s ok to kneel on someone’s head,” the post read. “come at me. y’all brainwashed.”
The university learned of the post last Friday and identified the student, who was slated to play on the women’s lacrosse team on a scholarship. The student had used other racially offensive language in other posts.
“Following an internal review involving the Division of Student Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Intercollegiate Athletics, and in alignment with our guiding values, Marquette University has made the decision to rescind the incoming student’s offer of admission and athletics scholarship, effective immediately,” Marquette spokeswoman Lynn Griffith said. “As a Catholic, Jesuit institution, we are called to build a nurturing, inclusive community where all people feel safe, supported, welcomed, and celebrated.”
Floyd’s death sparked widespread protests across the country demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder on Thursday, and three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
