University of Georgia: TA Who Said ‘White People Might Have to Die’ Did Not Violate Code of Conduct

A judiciary panel at the University of Georgia has concluded that a teaching assistant and graduate student who came under scrutiny last January for making racially charged statements did not violate the student code of conduct. The graduate student had been accused of purposefully omitting a trespassing arrest from his UGA admissions application, among other allegations.

University of Georgia (UGA) TA and graduate student, Irami Osei-Frimpong, was cleared by the panel on Tuesday after facing expulsion over allegations that he had failed to list his previous attendance the University of Chicago, as well as that he had purposefully omitted a 2011 trespassing arrest from his admissions application, according to Athens Banner-Herald.

UGA launched the investigation into Osei-Frimpong’s misconduct after he and the university received backlash for his racially charged statements that were exposed to the public last January.

Osei-Frimpong’s statements included the claim that “some white people may have to die” in order to achieve racial justice, and that “fighting white people is a skill” which should be practiced, adding that this was one of the reasons why he is in favor of “integrated schools,” among other comments.

The graduate student said that he believed the allegations against him were a veiled attempt to remove him from the university due to his controversial comments having been made public. Osei-Frimpong had also waived his federal privacy rights, which allowed for public access to the hearing, giving him an audience to listen while he defended himself against the allegations.

During his hearing, Osei-Frimpong claimed that the charges against him were contrived by UGA administrators in reaction to conservative alumni threatening to withhold donations if he were to remain a TA at the university, according to Athens Banner-Herald.

The report added that the UGA judiciary panel later concluded that the graduate student did not provide false information to the university and had not omitted “facts which are material” from his admissions application.

“The Office of Student Conduct adjudicated this case like any other, in compliance with all applicable policies and procedures,” said university spokesperson Greg Trevor in a statement on Tuesday, “We respect the student conduct process and the outcome.”

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