Content warning: This article contains references to the use of racial slurs.

In early April, students at the Kaufman School of Dance organized a school-wide forum where they addressed hate speech, discrimination and harassment, after a freshman called another student the N-word in their ballet class. 

A month after the forum, multiple students interviewed by the Daily Trojan said nothing has changed. This has taken increased significance before the school’s marquee end-of-year gala May 3. 

During spring break, the freshman who was called the N-word told another freshman Kaufman student. The news quickly spread through student groups in Kaufman into the other cohorts, culminating in the organization of the school-wide forum. 

“A lot of the diverse people in Kaufman don’t feel safe with people like that in our class,” said the freshman Kaufman student who was called the N-word and was granted anonymity for privacy. “People like [them] don’t create a safe environment for people to dance with and to talk to.” 

The morning of the forum, Kaufman Dean Julia Ritter sent a statement to the Kaufman community that the University “takes such reports very seriously,” but “the [Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX] process necessarily takes time.”

The statement went on to say that students should not presume others of breaking University policy until an official ruling came out.

A Black Kaufman freshman, one of the organizers of the forum, said the email made Black students feel unsupported by Ritter. The student was granted anonymity due to fear for their safety. 

“[Ritter] was trying to push everything under the rug [to] quiet our voices, and to just make sure everything runs smoothly as normal, which we felt was disrespectful,” the student said. “She was trying to put this fear out to [make] us not have the school meeting.”

In a statement to the Daily Trojan about the original incident, the University wrote that details regarding this matter could not be provided because of student privacy laws and that students affected by the matter should contact the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX.

“[Ritter] has been working in close collaboration with both University leadership and the appropriate investigative offices to address the serious concerns that have been raised,” the statement read. “Countless hours have been spent meeting with students and faculty in an effort to better understand the underlying issues, respond to concerns, and bring the community together.” 

In the forum, students addressed examples of hate speech, discrimination and harassment within Kaufman with faculty and around 100 students in attendance. Multiple freshman students admitted to using the N-word in front of their peers, including the student who used the slur in April. The anonymous student said they have never seen such “a rich culture of racism” in the freshman cohort of Kaufman.

“It’s one thing to hear that [people are saying slurs], but to see the perpetrators raise their hands in meetings and be like, ‘Yeah, I feel this way. I did these things,’ was just very eye-opening and also a little shocking, because there was no shame or remorse or really anything of the sort,” said another Kaufman student who was granted anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Kaufman has a cohort system, where each year has around 25 to 30 students who will attend the same classes together nearly every day for their entire experience in the University. The Kaufman student said the school is “predominantly people of color.”

The freshman Kaufman student, who was called the N-word and was granted anonymity for privacy, said some students are taking “action” to remove students who used hate speech from Kaufman. They also added that they and their peers did not want to dance with the students who admitted to saying a slur in the upcoming gala or any other performances. 

“Why would you want to dance with someone who’s called you the N-word,” the student who was called the N-word said. “I feel people like [the student who said the N-word] don’t create a safe environment for people to dance with.” 

On April 5, a few days after the student-led discussion, Ritter sent another Kaufman-wide email regarding the forum, stating that incidents of discrimination and harassment were referred to the EEO-TIX for review, but the processes “may seem slow and insufficient.” 

“Please remember that they exist to protect the rights of everyone in our community and to ensure that the university is meeting its legal obligations under federal and state law,” the statement read. “Adhering to these policies is required and failure to do so could result in significant adverse consequences for individual students, faculty, staff, our school and the university at large.” 

With the gala approaching, two freshman Kaufman students said there have been no repercussions so far for the students who have admitted to saying the N-word. 

“I don’t feel comfortable dancing with people who have used hate speech, but the gala is happening regardless,” the freshman student who helped organize the forum said. “Black Kaufman is doing everything in our power to keep bringing these topics up so it doesn’t get swept under.” 

As for the freshman student who experienced hate speech on campus, they said the whole situation feels like a “huge slap in the face” from the University. 

“There’s just points in my life where I’m like, ‘I don’t really want to stay here anymore,’ only because it just feels so unfair,” the student who was called the N-word said. “But then also at the same time, I feel like leaving makes those people win. I feel like I just need to stay and fight for my space in my environment, because I worked too hard to get here, and I don’t want to give it up because someone doesn’t respect my space or my color.”

Editor’s Note: This article was updated May 3 at 11:57 p.m to remove identifying information about an anonymous student.