{"id":14599,"date":"2024-04-10T08:01:07","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T12:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawyersforcivilrights.org\/?p=14599"},"modified":"2024-04-10T08:02:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T12:02:41","slug":"black-students-unfairly-disciplined-at-nichols-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawyersforcivilrights.org\/our-impact\/education\/black-students-unfairly-disciplined-at-nichols-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Students Unfairly Disciplined at Nichols College"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Black College Student Leaders Unfairly Disciplined After Acting in Self-Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nichols College and Dudley Police Must Remedy Impacts of Racially Biased Investigations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Black student leaders at Nichols College are speaking out after racially-biased investigations of a physical altercation have resulted in severe interruptions in their educational opportunities. Meanwhile, white Nichols College students involved in the same incident \u2013 who instigated the physical violence \u2013 have walked away free and clear, with no investigation into their actions, and no interruptions to their educations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In solidarity with the Black student leaders, Shamar Hall and Giovanni McLaughlin, the Worcester Branch of the NAACP and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) are calling on Nichols College and the Dudley Police Department (DPD) to take immediate action and address the disparate treatment suffered by the students. We are demanding that Mr. Hall and Mr. McLaughlin both be reinstated as students in good standing with Nichols College, with access to the full range of educational and social opportunities and student supports, such as on-campus housing, that will ensure they can complete their educations without interruption. We are also calling for a full investigation of policies and procedures at Nichols College and the DPD to root out racial bias and create effective mechanisms for reporting and responding to instances of hate speech and discrimination at both institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident took place in October 2023, when a student fight broke out. Mr. Hall and Mr. McLaughlin acted only in self-defense, yet Nichols College took disciplinary action against them while failing to question or discipline any of the white students involved. Both students at Nichols College have strong track records of campus leadership and academic achievement. Parallel investigations conducted by Nichols College and the DPD raise significant legal concerns about each institution\u2019s ability to deliver fair and impartial investigations regardless of race. Examples include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n