Georgia State University is one of the most diverse universities in the United States and proudly claims to be a “University for all.” U.S. news reports GSU has a 77% minority enrollment and as the recipient of many awards for inclusion, one of the many appeals to attend GSU is its diversity.
The university claims to be committed to protecting that diversity and supporting students regardless of “race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nation of origin, socioeconomic status or other individual characteristics and intersectionalities that define you as an individual.”
Despite this written commitment, the university’s history of discrimination continues to permeate the Panther experience.
On September 8th, an X account under the username @StopArabHate highlighted a series of posts made by an adjunct professor at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, which contained anti-arab and anti-muslim messaging.
“What would the Arab Middle East have if they didn’t have hate? Oil I guess,” the user said in a now-deleted post. “It’s time to send the Muslims back to the dysfunctional Arab Middle East,” the user said in another deleted post in April.
There is an ongoing investigation to verify the account’s identity and the professor’s ties to GSU.
The alleged posts violate the University System of Georgia’s and GSU’s faculty and student handbook standards for discrimination. Item 101.17b in the Georgia State University employee handbook lists the “Fundamental Tenets and Expectations of Faculty.”
It states, “Each employee of the USG community and at Georgia State University will: Refrain from discriminating against, harassing or threatening others.”
The student handbook, on page 31 item B.1 states, “Georgia State University does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender, disability, national origin, or veteran status in employment or the administration of the program and activities conducted by Georgia State University or any of its several departments now in existence or hereafter established.”
The Signal recognizes every staff member’s and student’s expression of free speech, but by examining the statements made alongside the university guidelines, the posts made on X are incongruent with university standards.
The professor has yet to respond to our attempts to reach out.
Unfortunately, hate has hurt this campus before. Last year in October, The Signal investigated the admission of a student with a history of white supremacy to the College of Law.
Two years ago, on a board inside of Sensational Subs, antisemitic messages were written, being adorned with hateful symbols, causing outrage amongst the Jewish fraternities, student organizations and community at GSU.
The student response to all instances was similar, calling for an examination of the university’s standard for admittance and employment as one of the most diverse colleges in the U.S.
With over 50,000 enrolled students, Georgia State University is the largest institution in Georgia based on enrollment. In 2021, the university received Insight Into Diversity’s 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.
If the university is going to continue that standard of excellence many of these issues must be faced.
The Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni at Georgia State promotes inclusion in teaching and encourages faculty to strive towards “inclusive excellence.” On their website they state, “We define inclusivity to mean that all our faculty and students feel welcomed, safe, respected, and valued.”
Hate has no place at Georgia State University. We encourage all students and staff to speak up about the discrimination and harassment they experience at GSU.
You can report discrimination by a student organization to the Dean of Students. You can contact them through their email at deanofstudents@gsu.edu, phone at 404-413-1515 or in person at 55 Gilmer Street Student Center East, Suite 303.
Discrimination by staff should be reported to Ann Williamson, Associate VP of HR Administration and Chief HR Officer. Reach out to hrhelp@gsu.edu or call 404-413-4747 to get into contact with the right HR representatives and make your voice heard.
The Signal condemns hate of all kinds and denounces its presence in our University. One of the many great things about being a Panther is being surrounded by people from all walks of life. We take pride in the diversity of our campus and are committed to upholding those standards in our own organization. Please, if at any point you think you are being discriminated against, utilize the resources you have, including contacting The Signal.
