Slur in text stirs Ga. Southern alarm

A student at Georgia Southern University shared an allegedly racist student text message that caused concern on campus.

The student, in screening a new roommate, mistakenly sent out a text to the wrong person, in which she used the slur.

The student apologized, saying she meant to type “triggerfish” but that was autocorrected by her phone to the slur. “I meant to say triggerfish, meaning like, you seemed really cool, nothing that triggered a red flag! I’m so embarrassed; I apologize,” Courtney Schaefer said by phone.

Friday, university president Shelley C. Nickel sent a message to the community saying “the use of such racist comments is offensive” and doesn’t reflect university standards.

But Georgia Southern students Marah Giddens and Alexandria Duvet feel a press release isn’t enough, and both said they wanted to know whether further action would be taken.

“These things have been happening on our campus and campuses all over the country,” Giddens said. “If someone isn’t punished for their racism and bigotry then what will ignite a change?”

Will Creely, with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said there ares different ways universities can choose to handle such incidents depending on severity, pervasion and persistence.

“The basic rule is that public universities like Georgia Southern are government actors and they are bound to uphold the First Amendment on campus,” he said. “At a public university bound by the First Amendment, the use of a racial slur might be protected speech.”