Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law

Law School Revokes Admission Due To Racially Offensive Social Media Content

Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law has revoked admission of an incoming law student due to allegedly racially offensive social media content.

While the law school did not release the student’s name or concrete details around the social media posts, it did make a statement regarding the issue, Law.com reports.

“SMU has revoked its offer of admission to an incoming Dedman School of Law student, based on the student’s racially offensive behavior recorded on social media that contradicts the university’s core values—specifically, its commitment to diversity and inclusion,” the law school said in a statement on Twitter. “Racism has no place on a campus that embraces respect for all SMU students, faculty and staff and equips its students to make a difference in the world.”

STANDING TOGETHER

While the law school’s dean has yet to comment specifically on the revoked admission situation, Dean Jennifer Collins did release a previously-released a statement in regards to brutality towards African-Americans.

In her statement, Collins highlighted the importance of lawyers in the fight against inequality.

“As lawyers, we have a special obligation to demand that we do better and actively work together toward a more just and compassionate nation free of the discrimination and hatred that continues to plague this country,” Collins says in a statement. “If we were able to gather in person at the law school, we could come together to mourn, express our outrage, and brainstorm about how best to further the cause of justice, utilizing the tools of peaceful protest and action.”

Adjunct SMU law professor John Browning says that while he hasn’t personally read the post, social media misconduct is something that’s grown in focus around the nation.

“Online misbehavior by law students is certainly not a rare phenomenon, and it’s one law students don’t realize can pose a real career problem for them,” Browning tells Law.com. “I don’t know the details. I don’t want to personally pass judgment. But if they were troubling enough for the school to consider it contrary to the core values, I think it’s the school’s right to do that. Being admitted to a professional or graduate program is not a matter of right. It’s a matter of privilege. It can be rescinded for any number of reasons.”

Sources: Law.com, Twitter, SMU