An Ohio university is currently under fire for allegedly suspending one of its students after her family reported she was being harassed and was the victim of racial discrimination while on the school’s volleyball team.
The incident was summarized by TikTok user nia.alexandra (Nia). According to her, the alleged victim is Niyah Lester, who is a student at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.
Nia explained that Lester is a “straight A student” who was never involved in any racial issues. That all changed when she joined the school’s volleyball team. Reportedly, she filed a formal complaint back in September after allegedly being harassed and bullied while on the team, racial slurs included. She was told, as per Nia, that she must report the incident to her coach. Lester did, but nothing happened.
Things got worse when Lester’s sister spoke out about the situation online, denouncing the racial discrimination she was suffering. Nia detailed that, as an alleged retaliation tactic, the school sent police officers to her dorm. They tried to kick her out.
“It’s all really taking a huge toll on her and her family because all of this action wasn’t done when Niyah was the one explaining how she was being bullied and harassed,” Nia explained. “There was no motion, there was no sense of urgency when Niyah was reporting those instances.”
Ohio Student Suspended, Reactions
On Instagram, Lester’s sister revealed that Niyah has been suspended after she spoke out against the alleged racism she has been experiencing on YSU’s volleyball team. Furthermore, she was the one accused of bullying and harassment, according to a letter Lester’s sister posted online.
Many users online shared their anger over how things were being handled. They blasted YSU and its volleyball team and chose to share nightmare racial stories of their own.
“They’re making themselves look guilty,” one user commented. “To suspend her for speaking up shows they tryna cover something up,” another one said. A third one added, “Youngstown going viral again for the wrong reasons smh.”
For the time being, Niyah and her family are demanding a fair investigation instead of the reported retaliation she has suffered. YSU has yet to publicly address the situation.
