A disturbing doorbell camera video has put the University of Mississippi under scrutiny after two students were seen making racist gestures outside a Black student’s apartment. The 13-second clip has gone viral online, drawing more than 11 million views and prompting widespread backlash. Ole Miss has condemned the behavior, calling it offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable. The university has also confirmed that the students involved attend Ole Miss and has launched an investigation into the incident, according to ABC News.

It happened on Friday, November 6, at 8:37 p.m., outside an off-campus apartment shared by three Black students. Jakira Metcalf, one of the roommates, posted the Ring camera clip on TikTok the next day and tagged the school: “What do we have to say about this?” She said that the women lived upstairs, and the university followed up by confirming that they are students.

“The university is aware of a video depicting offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable behaviors that conflict with our university values and we condemn them,” Ole Miss responded in a statement posted to X. “The university has reached out to those targeted by the actions to share information, resources, and support.”

The Black Student Union said the incident left the student, and many of its members, feeling unwelcome and unsafe. The grandfather of one of the roommates, Vincent Ford, told a local station that the clip seemed “somewhat laughable at first until things started sinking in.” He said he and his wife told their granddaughter they would get to the bottom of it.

“The incident is actively being investigated by the appropriate university offices and processes,” the Ole Miss statement further read. “It’s important to note that student conduct cases, records, and any potential disciplinary action are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).”

The statement closes by saying that the university wants to keep a safe and welcoming environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and will follow its own procedures to protect the community. Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead added that no sorority members were involved and that one student had been misidentified online.

Two offices, Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance, are reviewing the case. The Black Student Union is asking for discipline consistent with the M Book and “proportionate to the very serious nature of race-based harassment.”

Tasha Bolton, whose daughter lives in the apartment, wrote that her family wants answers on “what steps will be taken to address this behavior and ensure accountability.” Schools usually handle these through conduct codes. A race-based harassment finding can mean suspension or expulsion.

It isn’t the first time. In 2024, a white Ole Miss student directed inappropriate gestures at a Black woman protesting the war in Gaza. He was expelled from his fraternity then.

Black Student Union calls on Ole Miss to take action after viral racist incident

The school says it has reached out to the affected students, and Metcalf told ABC News she expected to meet with officials Monday. The Black Student Union also alleged the women involved are first-year students and called on the university to do more to introduce new students to the UM Creed, which commits to respect for every person.

Black Student Union president Demetrick M. Stringer Jr. put the harm plainly: “Comparisons of this kind carry a long and painful history, and directing them at a student where she lives has left her, and many of our members, feeling unwelcome and unsafe.”

Ole Miss is in the middle of its worst week of the football season, with a 42-7 loss to Georgia and a $250,000 SEC fine. This is a separate and much bigger test. The school will be judged on how openly it handles the process and on whether the students who were targeted feel safe afterward.