Phi Mu Fraternity dismissed a USC student who posted a photo with a racist comment on social media, according to a Phi Mu press release.
Mary Stack Summers posted the photo with the caption, “Happy [abbreviated n-word] day.” The photo circulated on social media Tuesday, right after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is not known what day the photo was first posted. Summers is no longer enrolled at USC, according to The State reporter Lucas Daprile.
“The National organization and the Lambda Theta Chapter at the University of South Carolina are appalled by this incident and are committed to ensuring members understand the severity of this situation,” Phi Mu Fraternity said.
According to university spokesman Jeff Stensland, the university is performing an ongoing inquiry, and no additional details can be shared at this time.
“Each case is unique, but we first investigate to try and determine what occurred, who was involved and what steps might be appropriate as follow-up action,” Stensland said in an email.
In a Twitter post on Tuesday, university President Robert Caslen said he was aware of the post, which "contained a disgusting racial epitaph absolutely not reflective of who we are as Gamecocks." He said the university is in the process of addressing the situation.
“We value all people & seek to create an environment in which each of us feels valued. Racist messages run contrary to who we are and we can--and must--do better,” Caslen said in a second tweet on Tuesday.
Updated on Jan. 23 at 10:50 a.m. - University spokesperson Jeff Stensland confirmed that the individual is no longer an enrolled student at the university. Due to the privacy laws that is all the information that can be shared.