UT: Incoming student accused of using racial slurs not attending university

UT will not have May commencements as usual, conduct spring semester classes online. |...
UT will not have May commencements as usual, conduct spring semester classes online. | (University of Tennessee)(WVLT)
Published: Jun. 3, 2020 at 4:41 PM EDT
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The University of Tennessee announced Thursday that a prospective incoming freshman and member of the cheer-leading team will no longer be attending the university after she was accused of using racial slurs on social media.

"On Wednesday, following a racist video and photo surfacing on social media, Athletics made the decision not to allow a prospective student to join the Spirit Program. She will not be attending the university this fall," a tweet by the University read.

"The university takes seriously our commitment to fostering a Volunteer community that values equity, inclusion, and that promotes respect for all people. We have a responsibility to support our black students and create a place where all Vols feel safe," another post by the University's Twitter account read.

A Snapchat video from an account associated with incoming freshman Mimi Groves allegedly shows her sitting in traffic while using derogatory slurs against African Americans. Groves also allegedly posted a picture of herself with a caption that included the same derogatory slur.

The University of Tennessee's "@vol_cheer' Instagram account posted to its page on May 24 welcoming Groves to the team. The comments under the Instagram post were disabled and the post has since been deleted from the page.

While the university did not mention Groves by name, @UTKnoxville Twitter account commented on an incident saying it was looking into 'several reports'.

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