Racist Instagram Posts Targeting Asians May Cost Texas State University Student President His Job

February 5, 2018

The student government president at Texas State University has been called out for his racist Instagram posts which recently surfaced on multiple social media accounts this week.

Student body President Connor Clegg angered many students at the university for his unearthed posts from 2014 in which he ridiculed Asian tourists during a trip to Europe, reported Texas State student newspaper The University Star.

Screenshots taken from the junior political science major’s account shows that he took photos with the tourists without permission and then used derogatory terms in his hashtags such as #gottheirass, #pearlharborwasbad, and #asianfellows.

In another, where he featured a photo collage of nuns in the background, he included the hashtags #holybooty and #idcloisterthatass.

Clegg’s account was immediately taken down after Rudy Martinez, former philosophy senior and columnist for the student paper, posted the screenshot images and then called for impeachment. The posts, which have received significant attention on Facebook, also spread to Twitter where students urged their fellow students to report the incident to Texas State officials.

University student activists are set to file a petition to school administrators on Monday to seek Clegg’s removal from office and initiate impeachment from his post in the student senate.

Clegg has issued his apology amid the mounting calls for his resignation, noting that he has grown up since then.

“I had just finished up high school,” Clegg was quoted as saying. “I think there’s been a lot of maturation that’s happened over four years. To dig back that far, it seems like (Martinez) is reaching for straws. It was stupid, it’s stupid high school, locker room talk if even. I remember I was in Europe, having fun and at the time I thought it was funny. Now, I can guarantee that I have grown up since then.”

Clegg added that he will be issuing a formal statement as student body president to apologize for his posts.

University President Denise M. Trauth, who said Clegg posted the content to his social media accounts in 2014 and 2017, called the posts both racist and offensive, according to KXAN.

“I have said before that racism in any manifestation is abhorrent. We expect our students to uphold the university’s core values of diversity, inclusion, and unity – especially our student government leaders,” Trauth said.

She added that she hopes Clegg’s apology truly reflects his sentiments, noting that the responsibility of representing students comes with the expectation that they “treat each other with dignity and respect.”

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