KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State University is launching a diversity and education fund to address racial injustice after football players threatened a boycott in response to an insensitive tweet by a student about the death of George Floyd.
In a letter from K-State President Richard B. Myers, the school said student-athletes, coaches and staff would undergo mandatory diversity and inclusion training that includes monthly town hall sessions.
It also announced that it would provide transportation for athletes to voting locations on Election Day.
Myers said the student who posted “racist messages” on social media would not be expelled.
“As a governmental agency, we must operate within the law,” Myers wrote. “While these messages are disrespectful and abhorrent, we cannot violate the law.”
Instead, Myers said, the university will work “to more crisply define” ways to stop hate and combat racism.
“We will ensure students, faculty and staff of color are at the table along with other underrepresented groups,” Myers wrote. “Work on this plan begins immediately and progress will be reported monthly to the university community.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
