University of North Texas Student-Employee Fired for Racial Slur
A student-employee at a UNT student union restaurant was fired last week for using a racial slur on another student's receipt.
UNT communications student Chelsea Shaw ordered her food from Krispy Krunchy Chicken in the student union, and noted that they didn't ask for her name as they normally do. When she got her receipt, she noticed that in the spot for an ID number was the N-word. Shaw then posted a picture of the receipt to Twitter.
UNT President Neal Smatresk also tweeted his disappointment in the situation,
Our Mean Green family values respect and prides itself on inclusion. It is completely unacceptable and not who we are as a community.
In a later statement to the UNT student body, Smatresk wanted to clarify that the cook is the same race as the student, but that shouldn't be an excuse,
It is important to know that both the customer and employee were the same race, and regardless of other societal views it is my belief that the use of this term is never OK.
Dallas Morning News reports that a cook for the restaurant, who is also a student, admitted to putting the slur on the receipt. University spokeswoman Leigh Anne Gullett noted that the student has been terminated for the action, and the university of discussing the possibility of further disciplinary action,
This one incident is so contrary to who we are, to the shared values of the community.I think that's clear in both what President Smatresk said and everything you see and hear when you're on our campus.