In the past few months, there have been plenty of social media posts involving future students or current students from different colleges in which they are making racists comments. There has been controversy regarding these posts because many universities have taken action and withdrawn acceptance or expelled them. As a consequence, many have seen the comments regarding the situation. There are different opinions as to what should happen.

We are living in a time and age when racism should not be a thing. People should not be judged, mistreated, disrespected, and even killed over the color of their skin. We need to put an end to that kind of behavior. And that is what some colleges have been doing after receiving information from prospect students who have posted racist content on their social media. There have been viral Snapchats, multiple Tweets, and some Facebook posts. Because nothing can truly be erased, some students have had to face the consequences of their actions…as they all should.

The posts are very varied, but the point is that they are disrespecting others for the color of their skin and making fun of their culture. It is something that is unacceptable, and it should definitely affect the way colleges see their students or future students. No college should accept someone who is so harmful, and who consciously makes fun and mistreats another group of people. So, when the posts started appearing, many others started forwarding them to the universities and expecting some sort of action to be taken.

After this, many were the comments. Should students’ acceptance be withdrawn? Should they be expelled? Should they be held responsible? The answer to all those questions is a simple and big yes. There should be no space for racism, hate, and discrimination. No one should be allowed to walk away without any repercussions after posting those kinds of comments. Everybody should be held responsible for what they do. If you are so sure of yourself that you share those harmful thoughts online, you should be prepared to face the consequences. And we should all stand by the colleges who have decided to hold these people accountable.

Students are supposed to feel safe when going to school, and for this they need to know that their institution would protect them against any kind of bad behavior. Every application should take into consideration any added information–from social media or other testimonies–that show that student is racist or will act as a bully towards others for the color of their skin, their culture, their language, or their beliefs. Yes, everyone should be treated equally and that is why there is no room for people who attempt to harm others, verbally or physically.

The same thing has started to happen more recently with racist posts and people’s jobs. Some employees have posted comments of the sort and have mentioned where they work. Many then contacted the employers demanding something is done with this kind of behavior. Companies do not want to be seen in this negative light and that is why so many have fired employees for this very reason. That is what should continue to happen but not only because of the brand’s image. It should happen because we should not allow these people to harm anyone with their racist and hateful actions. No matter where you go–work or school–you should always feel safe.

It is very important that we hold people accountable. We need to continue to speak up against those who post and comment in a negative, hateful, harmful, and racist way. If you see students from a certain college participating in these posts, contact the university. Make sure you speak up for those who need it the most. We should not be afraid to have them face the consequences. We should all feel safe to attend school, to go to work.

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