LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A little more than two weeks after a University of Kentucky student was arrested and banned from the campus following an apparent racist assault on another student, the school's president is promising to make the campus more inclusive.
President Eli Capilouto said in a written statement that the university will transform Memorial Hall into a space to celebrate diversity. He also said the school is committed to supporting mental health with virtual counseling options, as well as renewing focus on diversity and inclusion officers across the campus.
Capilouto also released a YouTube video detailing the university's plans.
University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has an important message to share with the campus community.
Senior Sophia Rosing was banned from campus and will not be allowed to re-enroll as a student. She was arrested Nov. 6, after she allegedly physically assaulted a Black student worker at Boyd Hall while repeatedly using racial slurs. The incident was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
In a letter to the campus community days after the attack, Capilouto called the behavior seen in the video "disgusting" and "devastating to our community."
Kylah Spring, a freshman working as a desk clerk, said in the video that Rosing hit her multiple times and kicked her in the stomach. Spring said the attack began when she asked Rosing, who appeared to be intoxicated, if she was ok.
Rosing can be heard using racial slurs throughout the video and a police report said she continued using derogatory language after being taken into custody. She is charged alcohol intoxication in a public place, third-degree assault of a police officer, fourth-degree assault and second-degree disorderly conduct, according to an arrest report. She pleaded not guilty in court.
"We want to be a place where everyone feels like they are safe and belong," Capilouto said in his statement. "That requires us to confront challenges and barriers to being that community. It will require the courage to talk with each other and understand both where we are making progress, but also where we have continued to fall short."
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- UK student pleads not guilty after video captures her shouting racial slurs at dorm employee
- Woman arrested after allegedly using racial slurs while assaulting University of Kentucky student
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