LSU responds to Twitter discussion about race Wednesday afternoon
BATON ROUGE - The president of LSU responded Wednesday afternoon to a growing social media thread about race and culture at the university.
A Twitter hashtag - a way to group conversations on the social media site - was created for a 1 p.m. discussion. A group called the "Black Student Union" asked people to Tweet their thoughts on university life as an African American at the state's largest college with #BeingBlackatLSU.
F. King Alexander joined the thread about 90 minutes after it started, posting that there were obvious issues that should be addressed since such a thread was created but "having open dialogue as a campus community is the only way to true growth. This conversation gives us a foundation upon which to build."
LSU is committed to providing a welcoming learning environment for all students. (1/3)
— F. King Alexander (@lsuprez) February 3, 2016
Having open dialogue as a campus community is the only way to true growth. This conversation gives us a foundation upon which to build (3/3)
— F. King Alexander (@lsuprez) February 3, 2016
While #BeingBlackatLSU demonstrates that we have some areas that need work, I'm proud of our students for sharing their experiences. (2/3)
— F. King Alexander (@lsuprez) February 3, 2016Trending News
Hours earlier, organizers on Twitter created the hashtag following a post in a closed Facebook group for current freshman. A student posted asking about a "White Student Union." The post created immediate controversy. A source said the post built to solicit comments for a research paper.
Had a typo in the last one but .... LSU gon disband this group ?? its escalating quickly. pic.twitter.com/aaTfgEsrqD
— african lioness. (@TheWildMind__) February 3, 2016
The LSU chapter of the NAACP posted the conversation should make people aware of the issues on campus.
Click HERE to follow the thread.
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