What Should Colleges Do to Discipline Students Who Spew Hate?
A college student says, posts, or does something racist. The university condemns the act, expresses outrage, and investigates. In some cases, the student is then suspended or expelled. The final leg of that process — the discipline — plays out in a much-less-public arena than the first two. And it’s often a more-complex endeavor than a casual higher-education observer might imagine. As campuses across the country respond to a spate of racist incidents, it’s worth looking at what disciplinary options a university has and what its ultimate goal should be.