Racist rhetoric funnels through Butler’s campus. Collegian file photo.
EMMA MCLEAN | MANAGING EDITOR | emclean@butler.edu
Butler issued a Dawg Alert at 10:16 p.m. on Friday, May 2, notifying the campus community of an incident near Apartment Village. The Butler University Police Department (BUPD) responded to reports of gunshots in the area of 52nd Street and Westfield Boulevard. No injuries were reported. According to a statement shared with the campus community by Chief of Safety John Conley, no Butler community members appear to have been involved in the incident.
In the immediate aftermath of the first Dawg Alert, as information remained limited, many students turned to the anonymous social media app Yik Yak to share updates, express concerns and speculate about the situation. Amid the confusion, a significant number of posts emerged that circulated disturbing racial stereotypes and rhetoric regarding the unknown identity of the shooter.
Dr. Khalilah Marbury, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and student affairs, addressed the incident in a campus-wide email. In the message, Marbury stated that Butler “condemn[s] this behavior in the strongest terms” and urged students to support and advocate for one another in the face of such rhetoric. Representatives for the university referred to Marbury’s statement when reached for comment.
Kamarie Fuller-McDade, a junior health sciences major and president of Butler’s Black Student Union (BSU), appreciated the speed of the university’s response, but is hopeful for future actions to result from the statement.
“[Butler] responding immediately was very surprising, in a good way,” Fuller-McDade said. “However, I feel like this calls for next action steps. There needs to be a discussion, action-based wise, of what are we going to do with the app? How are we going to improve life on campus?”
Fuller-McDade also expressed concern over the continued use of Yik Yak.
“People are finding new ways to be racist and make racist jokes,” Fuller-McDade said. “We need to ban the app altogether because it’s not doing anything for our college campus.”
This is not the first time Yik Yak has been used to amplify discriminatory rhetoric. The platform’s anonymity, along with its hyperlocal nature, allows for a climate in which damaging speech may exist with no accountability.
Amiia Burnett, a first-year speech, language and hearing sciences major, looked to YikYak in her first year on campus, hoping to find some guidance.
“I was having some trouble making friends as a Black first-year,” Burnett said. “So I went on [Yik Yak] making a [post], thinking that I could get some kind of help … I got some hateful comments. But there was one that made me delete; someone said ‘Maybe it’s because you’re black’.”
Yik Yak has long been a flashpoint in debates over online anonymity, campus safety and hate speech. The app, originally launched in 2013 by two college students, quickly became a digital megaphone for campus communities — but also a platform notorious for facilitating harassment and discriminatory speech.
Friday’s incident and resulting discourse online also sparked comment from Butler’s Student Government Association (SGA), who posted a statement via Instagram echoing Dr. Marbury’s sentiments, adding that it was “deeply disappointed and saddened by these posts and recognize the harm they cause to the culture of safety and belonging on this campus.”
In April, SGA President Sydney Haworth introduced an executive action proposing a ban on Yik Yak across Butler-owned networks and services. In the order, Haworth stated that the platform “allows full reign to engage in harmful content and rewards comments that are exceedingly creative in their negativity.”
She further noted that the app’s original intent to share information has been overshadowed by a culture of toxicity, and would be best removed from our campus. Haworth could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Kendall Johnson, a sophomore political science major and vice-president-elect of BSU, believes this resurgence of harm reflects a broader institutional failure to take ownership of equity and safety efforts.
“The DEI [and] anti-racist initiatives on campus are really being championed by the student organizations,” Johnson said. “I also think about the recent move to put guardrails on the parking garage — long overdue. That was championed by student organizations. I feel like Butler is often hiding behind student organizations to call out issues and to fix them.”
As student leaders continue to push for structural change, the events of May 2 have reignited calls for accountability. For many, the conversation now turns to whether the university will treat this moment as a catalyst for reform or an instance of temporary response.
