ISU officials hosted a listening session in response to racist video. Students stayed silent.

A listening session hosted by Indiana State University officials in response to recent racist incidents didn't go as planned, with many participating in a silent protest.

According to the Indiana Statesman, Indiana State University's campus newspaper, the listening session, led by the president's office and others, took place in a hall auditorium from 4-5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18. The session followed an initial protest on April 8 after a student, identified by some on social media as a member of the nursing program, posted a video containing racist comments against the Black community on Yik Yak sometime in March.

Before it started, protestors stood outside, passing out red duct tape and flyers, with intentions to “symbolize the lack of acknowledgment and action from university leadership regarding issues of racism and discrimination," the Indiana Statesman reported. Representatives from Indiana State University were unavailable for comment.

Indiana State University: An ISU nursing student was shown in a racist video. Here's what happened next.

Here's what we know:

Indiana State University student posts racist video

According to the Indiana Statesman, response from students follow a student video posted to Yik Yak, a social networking app, containing discriminatory remarks against the Black community.

One woman, about to get her doctorate, commented on the issue on TikTok. "Black women have been screaming about how they get treated in the health care field for generations. The fact that she's so openly and blatantly racist while also learning to practice medicine is so scary."

Indiana State University students protest in response to racist incidents on campus

An initial protest was held from 1-5 p.m. on April 8 at the former Lincoln Quad with four main demands. These included repercussions for the student’s behavior; a statement denouncing the video; a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate speech on campus; and amendments to the university’s code of conduct to oppose hate speech and implement repercussions for future incidents.

Nadia Lomax, one of the students involved in the protest, said the goal was to make sure silence isn't an option when faced with hate speech. “We’re here to make sure something like this doesn’t get swept under the rug again. The damage that occurs because of that (the lack of university response) is that students are told silence is okay and that they don’t matter,” Lomax said to the Statesman.

The university issued a response on April 10 and held a listening session for students on Tuesday. The Statesman reported that students sat silently through a presentation and were encouraged to join breakout rooms afterward. The protest continued, and provost Chris Olsen, and other faculty, expressed concern for recent events and encouraged students to speak up.

At exactly 5 p.m., when the session ended, the protest did as well. According to the Statesman, Andrea Arrington from the Department of History, addressed the students, saying, “We learned from you today in your silent protest… If there are things you want to teach us, please teach us."

How did Indiana State University respond to video, student protests?

Indiana State University President Deborah Curtis issued a statement on April 10 after the April 8 student protest. "The student's comments in the video in no way represent the ideals and goals of Indiana State University. We are appalled by the sentiments expressed in the video and condemn those comments in the strongest terms."

"This video impacts the entire campus community, but it deeply affects students from marginalized groups. Make no mistake — we hear you. We see you. We support you. We have been and will continue to work for you."

The office of the president and other faculty offices, also hosted a listening session earlier this week to allow students to voice their opinions and concerns. Instead, students silently protested at the event.

IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Indiana State University silent protest staged at listening sessions