CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A recent social media post from a University of Miami student has sparked outrage, and now an investigation within the school. The post showed screenshots allegedly from the chat function of a UM College Republicans Zoom meeting on Monday.
In the images, several people whose names we have blurred wrote about vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris in offensive terms, with at least one person using racist and homophobic slurs.
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The members of the chat called Harris “slimy” and said she “smells like cocoa butter,” “sulfur and brimstone,” and even “dried semen.”
Local 10 News is told there were both members and non-members of the UMCR in the meeting that day, and it’s unclear if the users making the racist and homophobic slurs were part of the club.
We reached out to the club about the chat on Thursday but received no reply.
Local 10 has also asked the university several questions, including if there was evidence the comments were made by non-members of the club, if the club would face discipline, or if the university’s police department would be doing anything additional to protect students whose names were clearly shown in the original post.
UM did not answer those questions, instead providing a statement that read: “The University of Miami is aware of this issue and the Dean of Students Office is investigating any allegations that have been received.”
Kai J. Anderson, Chairman of the Black Student Leadership Caucus at UM, provided Local 10 with a statement: "Honestly, I am appalled by the comments made about Kamala Harris in the UMCR meeting. More than anything, what bothers me and many others is the completely unwarranted lack of respect for Senator Harris. The comments exceeded what would normally be considered inappropriate, while also being baseless and beyond racist.”