Stanford students demand school expel classmate over racist, sexist posts

Stanford University students are demanding their school expel a student over his racist, sexist posts, CBS affiliate KPIX reported.

Student Chaze Vinci is accused of penning now-deleted posts through social media platforms Twitter and Instagram in which he shared his belief that women should serve men. 

Another post from Vinci allegedly showed a picture of former Stanford student Brock Turner, who was convicted in 2016 of raping another student, with the caption “A woman always gets what’s coming to her,” according to the Bay Area CBS affiliate. 

Vinci also shared a social media post that included an altered picture depicting a Black female student beheaded.

“This person had threatened a Muslim student in the past,” Washington State professor Nikki Yeboah told KPIX. “Stanford had plenty of opportunities to take this person aside or to expel this person or to make the community feel safe. So it begs the question, who is Stanford making this community safe for?”

Stanford University’s president Marc Tessier-Lavigne issued a campuswide message Monday condemning the “disturbing” social media posts.

“Due to the threatening nature of several of the weekend posts, and the violent imagery accompanying them, many of you have expressed concern for the safety of members of the Stanford community,” Tessier-Lavigne said in the note.

“We take our obligation to provide for your safety and wellbeing extremely seriously, and we have held this obligation firmly in mind as we have been working to address this matter,” he added.

Tessier-Lavigne also said that Vinci is prohibited from being on campus and in facilities.

Stanford University referred The Hill back to the statement.

Stanford students also have created a Change.org petition to have Vinci expelled from their campus. As of Tuesday, the petition had more than 3,600 signatures, nearing its 5,000 signatures goal. 

Sophomore Jordan McElroy told the CBS Bay area affiliate that she won’t feel safe if the school allows Vinci to continue attending.

“For me, if honestly, if they don’t expel him I don’t feel safe going to school,” McElroy said. “It is me or him, it is him or us, and I’m leaning to consider another school for my undergraduate education.”

—Updated Wednesday at 4:33 p.m.