{"id":62262,"date":"2016-10-05T09:09:10","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T14:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=62262"},"modified":"2016-10-05T09:09:10","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T14:09:10","slug":"student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Issues Apology and Embraces Restorative Justice Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jordan Samson, the University of Mississippi student who posted a racist comment on social media last month, has issued a public apology<\/a>, voluntarily withdrawn from classes and given the university permission to share this information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as a university condemn the use of language that is threatening or racist, and we are committed to protecting our students and faculty. We also believe in the power of higher education to transform individuals,\u201d Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the social media comment he made may have been protected expression, Jordan wanted to take responsibility for the impact of his post on our community,\u201d said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, he has willingly agreed to take the educational and reparative steps that the University of Mississippi believes are necessary to help restore a healthy and productive environment for all members of our community, including Jordan,\u201d Hephner LaBanc said.<\/p>\n

While Samson has withdrawn from the university, he will remain in the campus community this fall and work closely with the staff of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation<\/a> and the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement<\/a>. In collaboration with campus entities devoted to working against bias, the institute staff and Samson will develop a plan that will provide him with learning opportunities and restorative justice activities.<\/p>\n

Restorative justice is a practice frequently used by universities across the country to help students understand the consequences their actions have on others.<\/p>\n

\u201cRestorative justice is most effective when impacted parties are willing to openly discuss the harm that has been done,\u201d said Jennifer Stollman, academic director for the William Winter Institute. \u201cI believe this can be a situation where offensive and harmful words can lead to a more powerful dialogue and true climate change for our campus community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ideally, this episode will remind all UM community members that while language can hurt, it can also heal, university officials noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWords are important. Equally important is the venue in which those words are delivered,\u201d said Donald Cole, assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs and UM\u2019s chief diversity officer. \u201cThe university prides itself on providing venues of free expression in which the marketplace of ideas flows freely. Social media can be a challenging venue, for there, emotions often eclipse rationality, resulting in expressions that may be \u2018legal,\u2019 but certainly not expedient.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of our history, because of the heightened tensions within our country, because our words should be chosen to persuade, not to degrade, we remind ourselves that civil dialogue that respects the dignity of individuals is the approach that makes us a nationally recognized role model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to the free exchange of ideas,\u201d Vitter said. \u201cWhen those ideas are offensive and even harmful, our commitment is challenged. In this case, the community responded by making our values clear \u2014 the values of the UM Creed<\/a>, which remind us that we are a community that respects the voice and contribution of everyone. We find that this atmosphere of mutual respect is where we see the greatest learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

For additional resources, please visit umatter.olemiss.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jordan Samson, the University of Mississippi student who posted a racist comment on social media last month, has issued a public apology, voluntarily withdrawn from classes and given the university permission to share this information. \u201cWe as a university condemn the use of language that is threatening or racist, and we are committed to protectingRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[524],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nStudent Issues Apology and Embraces Restorative Justice Plan - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student Issues Apology and Embraces Restorative Justice Plan - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jordan Samson, the University of Mississippi student who posted a racist comment on social media last month, has issued a public apology, voluntarily withdrawn from classes and given the university permission to share this information. \u201cWe as a university condemn the use of language that is threatening or racist, and we are committed to protectingRead the story …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-05T14:09:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Ole Miss News\",\"description\":\"The official source for University of Mississippi news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/student-issues-apology-embraces-restorative-justice-plan\/\",\"name\":\"Student Issues Apology and Embraces Restorative Justice Plan - 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