President Patrick Leahy Ed.D. sent an email to the University community condemning hateful comments made on Yik Yak, a popular social media platform known for its anonymity, on Monday, Jan. 17.
“It has been brought to the University’s attention that there are a number of offensive posts targeting members of the Monmouth University community circulating on social media and other platforms,” wrote Leahy. “The University condemns hate speech, racism, and sexism in all forms, and we have taken swift action to investigate these reports and support our community members.”
The posts in question were not described in detail, although Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement Mary Ann Nagy referred to the comments as “deplorable and inconsistent with who we are as a campus,” and “unacceptable to be posted by any member of the community about anybody else.”
Maria Monzon, President of the Student Government Association, issued a statement later that night voicing SGA’s support for Leahy’s handling of the incident. “We want to inform our student body that we stand with Black students, students of color, and all marginalized students in our university. SGA does not condone this type of behavior and does not accept racism, harassment and discrimination,” wrote Monzon.
“We can’t speak out every time we hear something, but we feel that there are times when we need to continue to remind the community about our position and our philosophy and our desire to be as inclusive and welcoming as we possibly can,” said Nagy. “It was wonderful to see Maria Monzon and the student government leadership coming out and speaking about it. It can’t just be the President, it can’t just be me, it can’t just be the faculty and the staff. It has to be our students.”
Professors United for Safe Haven (PUSH) and the Program for Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS) also issued a statement condemning the incident in an email sent to students on Thursday, Jan. 20. Andrea Garcia and Katherine Parkin, co-organizers of PUSH, and Lisa M. Dinella, Director of the Program for Gender and Intersectionality Studies, encouraged students to explore PGIS course offerings and committed to host an anti-hate and anti-racism forum for faculty.
“We recognize the trauma that anonymous hate inflicts upon our community, with particular concern for the well-being of our community members of color. We also know that the timing of this incident adds a layer of harm, as it corresponds with final exams, a transition away from the support of our shared community, and the holiday season.”
The incident was investigated by the Monmouth University Police Department and was later referred to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office for additional review. However, the anonymous nature of Yik Yak made it difficult for officials to adequately pursue such an investigation – the app allows users to view and comment on anonymous discussion threads posted within a 5 mile radius.
Yik Yak originally launched in 2013 but was shut down in 2017 due to low user engagement and concerns about hate speech and cyberbullying. It was recently relaunched in 2021 with new “Community Guardrails” that sought to prevent bullying, hate speech, threats, and sharing private information. As such, it has since become a popular platform on college campuses across the U.S., including Monmouth University. Evidently, the platform still serves as a breeding ground for hateful, inappropriate conversations where users can speak freely with complete anonymity.
“The challenge that you have with an anonymous app is that it’s hard to tell who posted it. Yik Yak is difficult because you need a subpoena. While it’s disgusting and despicable, the incident may not always rise to the level of being able to get a subpoena,” explained Nagy. “We try to pursue it as far as we can, and we did. Unfortunately, we have not been successful in identifying who may have posted it.”
“Monmouth University is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus where everyone feels safe, valued and respected,” assured Leahy. “Hate has no place on our campus, nothing posted on platforms can ever be fully anonymous, and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.”
