Editorial: On racist behaviors on campus

On the morning of Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, a Black UK student named Kylah Spring was videoed being physically and verbally assaulted by a white student in Boyd Hall here on campus. Sophia Nicole Rosing was filmed attacking Spring while appearing under the influence and while yelling heinous racial slurs toward her. Spring, who is a night desk clerk at Boyd Hall, handled the situation with grace and maturity, though she had every reason to retaliate and defend herself.

Since the incident occurred, Rosing has been arrested and charged for several offenses, including public alcohol intoxication, assault to the 3rd and 4th degrees and disorderly conduct to the 2nd degree. Rosing pleaded not guilty to all charges on Monday, Nov. 7. The university has put out a statement saying they “condemn this behavior and will not tolerate it under any circumstance” and that Rosing’s behavior is currently under review; however, no action has been taken regarding her status as a student at UK.

The executive staff of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion condemns the disturbing and inappropriate behaviors of Sophia Rosing and stands strongly in support of Kylah Spring and the rest of the victims of Sunday morning. Racism of any kind should not be tolerated on campus, and by allowing individuals like Rosing to remain students after exhibiting such behavior harbors an unsafe environment for BIPOC students who don’t deserve to feel threatened while pursuing an education.

We also support the calls for UK to take action against Rosing by holding her accountable for her unacceptable behaviors and by removing her as a student at this university. We find it appalling that Rosing continues to be a part of the UK community despite the events that took place yesterday and hope the university administration will take swift action against her.

To Spring and the rest of the Black community on campus: we sincerely apologize that for so long you have had to endure racial discrimination and prejudice and that the university has failed to make you feel safe and secure on campus. To be clear, this isn’t just about this one incident. For far too long minorities on campus have had to face abhorrent treatment that have either gone unaddressed completely or resulted with unsatisfactory outcomes, but this must end today, and that will only happen if we as a community work in unison as activists and continue to apply pressure on authoritative figures to take action.

KRNL as an organization will work diligently to amplify your voices and to defend your right to pursue a higher education without the fear of being harassed or assaulted, and while it is unacceptable that this kind of behavior goes on in 2022, we promise to support you in whatever ways we can.

Once again, the staff of KRNL vehemently condemns Sophia Rosing’s racial hatred and hopes that UK will finally hold her accountable by expelling her entirely. If you have been affected by this situation in any way, we encourage you to utilize any of the resources available, which we will list here:

Center for Support and Intervention: https://www.uky.edu/concern/

MLK Center: https://www.uky.edu/mlkc/home

UK Counseling Center: https://www.uky.edu/counselingcenter/

UK VIP Center: https://www.uky.edu/vipcenter/

Lexington NAACP: https://www.lexnaacp.net/

SAFECATS: https://police.uky.edu/safety/safecats

UK Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: https://dei.uky.edu/

Signed,

The executive staff of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion