During this year’s opening school meeting, Jamar Galbreath, Mercersburg Academy’s Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, discussed last year’s reports to the Community Concern form on Veracross, the school’s student information system.
The numbers told a very clear story. The categories of Slurs/Discriminatory Language and Ethnic/Racial Incidents tied for the most reports at 11. In comparison, the next highest category was Gossip/Rumors at 5.
As William Tutt ’25 candidly pointed out in the school meeting, the greatest concerns regarded “the racial stuff.”
The statistics were collected from the Community Concerns form, a new tool that allows students and faculty to report concerns more comfortably and to seek redress. When a student submits a community concern, a team of administrators and faculty meet to discuss the situation. Sometimes, the student who reported is invited to discuss. This discretion is intentional.
As Galbreath explained, “Maybe they are not as comfortable bringing an observation forward because they don’t have as much information, or trigger a big response. We can help map out and route these concerns.”
So far, the team has worked on following up on reports, addressing concerns, and connecting individuals with other services on campus. While submitting a report may not result in a CRC, it is one of the options the team can employ. In previous years, past DEI director Dr. Renata Williams addressed incidents of racism that landed in the Conduct Review Committee by speaking in dorms meetings.
But why are there still so many reports?
Galbreath believes differences in cultural values may be the root cause behind such incidents. "We have to look at what harm is being done and how it is enacted. While I would love those [cases] to be zero, we come to this place where people come from different experiences and ways of learning, contributing to this rich and diverse community. With that, people's talk will change and evolve; it doesn't happen overnight."
A hopeful trend in the data is the steady decline in reports throughout the year. The 2023-24 fall term had the greatest number of reports with 24, compared to 12 in winter and six in spring. This might seem counterintuitive; at first students might not feel comfortable using a new program, but there are reasons for this trend.
Galbreath says, “It could be a lot of things; especially in the fall, there are new students, [and] a lot of re-norming for returners.” By the winter and spring, it could be that more students are aware of being sensitive in their language.
Furthermore, since anyone can submit a concern, there can be multiple reports about one incident. “Some reports are coming in while we are already addressing the conflict,” Galbreath explains. Multiple reports amplify the concern.
Students present contrasting opinions on the issue of discriminatory language. Some students are hopeful about their peers' intentions and explain the current phenomenon arising from ignorance and lack of awareness instead of hateful intentions.
Lily Killinger ’26 said, "A lot of people know what they say when they say it; they think it is just a joke, and when they realize it's not, it's too late."
Other students agree that students may make mistakes but learn from being corrected. Cocona Yamamoto ’25, an international student from Japan, said, "It is really easy for people to step off the right path and use hurtful language, especially in our age group. As they grow and know what right or wrong is, it will get better.”
However, another perspective is students generally know what their language conveys but use it anyway to conform: "Obviously, we all know the consequences; I feel like there is no one on campus that is genuinely racist or sexist whatsoever; they just say it to fit in," said Prin Sairungsri ’27.
Last year, half of the student-reported concerns were about discriminatory language. CRC student representative Frank Bonsal ’25 noted, "I was on three cases last year, and two out of the three cases were about racial language."
Luntu Radebe ’25 is one of the 22 students who submitted a Community Concerns report. Last year, she and her peers shared concerns and submitted forms about a student using slurs and discriminatory language towards her. Radebe is an international student, as was the other student.
Radebe was honest in her response. “Some students hold no respect for the culture we are in. They come from overseas, and that might be normalized there, but they disregard our community cultures here.” She pointed out that discriminatory language violates the Blue Book, which states Mercersburg Academy “prohibits speech that discriminates, attacks, disparages, demeans, intimidates, or deliberately mischaracterizes an individual or group based on their identity.”
After submitting the form, Radebe met with the Concerns team, who told her after the investigation that the offended student would receive final warning.
Other students also attribute misuse of language to misguided attempts at humor. "I'm not questioning that when they use such language they understand the context behind harmful words, but it is also what gives humor in their minds; it is important to realize those words are not genuinely humorous, but harmful," said Daniel Liu ’25.
Despite justifications that “it is just a joke,” it is important to recognize standards at Mercersburg. Frank Bonsal ’25 states, "I don't think there is any racial slur that can be deemed [to be] without hateful intention" even if it is said jokingly. There is no circumstance where that is acceptable."
As free speech is a pivotal element in academic inquiry, the line between acceptable and prohibited speech can sometimes be blurred. "While freedom of speech does exist, it doesn't mean there is freedom from repercussions from the people who are saying and experiencing things," said Galbreath. He emphasized that students should be aware of the impact of what they are saying.
Not all student experiences are the same. Shine Jo ’25, an international student 7,000 miles from home, presents her more positive perspective of Mercersburg. She admits, "When I first came to the US, I would feel insecure just because I am Asian. When I came to Mercersburg, it had such a diverse community; I felt safe and welcomed."
Indeed, not all cases are the same, and that is why Mercersburg has resources like Community Concerns, so anyone can feel comfortable speaking up.
Radebe said, “When you are part of a very small percentage on campus, and hear people say things that were very messed up, you just have to say, oh, okay. No one really got out there and said no. Community Concerns did help.”