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This article contains explicit and potentially offensive terms that are essential to reporting on this situation.
The University of Oklahoma announced Monday that two students who were involved in a racist video that has roiled the campus are no longer students at the university.
"Last Friday, we all witnessed a shocking and racist video involving students from our university. This video was recorded off campus, in a private setting and was not part of any University organized activity. These circumstances create legal boundaries for how we can respond as a public university," said Monday's statement from James L. Gallogly, the university's president. "Those students will not return to campus. This type of behavior is not welcome here and is condemned in the strongest terms by me and by our university. This behavior does not reflect the values and principles of our University, our community and our state." (The statement did not specify, but the Associated Press reported that the students left voluntarily.)
In the video, a woman in blackface says, "I am a nigger." The video has been widely distributed on social media.
The incident has revived discussion of an incident in 2015, when a video of fraternity members singing a song with the same slur angered many at the university.
In Monday's statement, Gallogly said, "I am also committed to engaging all students, faculty and staff in plans to: first, increase efforts to recruit more students, faculty and staff of color on campus; second, to review our code of conduct to make it as rigorous as possible in addressing inequality and racism; and third, ensure that our campus inclusion programs and training are robust and impactful. Every day I hear the clock tower from my office window, it reminds me that I am on a university campus that both represents all that we hold dear about the collegiate experience and, at the same time, is a reflection of our times. My sincerest wish is that we approach our highs and our lows with a humble heart and a commitment to learning and character."
