By Camille Harrison | M•I•A MEDIA GROUP
A University of Mississippi freshman has withdrawn from the school after acknowledging her involvement in a viral video showing racist monkey noises and gestures outside an apartment shared by Black students, intensifying demands for accountability and a safer campus environment.
Alaina Kunes, 18, voluntarily withdrew, a spokesperson for her attorney confirmed to the New York Post on Nov. 10. The spokesperson said she had neither been suspended nor asked to leave. The departure therefore should not be described as an expulsion or a publicly announced disciplinary punishment.
The incident occurred Nov. 6 at an off-campus apartment complex in Oxford, Mississippi. Doorbell footage shows three white women walking past an apartment, with two stepping toward the camera and making monkey-like sounds and chest-beating gestures. The third woman does not appear to make those sounds or gestures, according to ABC News’ reporting.
That distinction matters as the video circulates: The conduct visible in the footage differs among the three women, and public scrutiny should remain grounded in verified information.
Kunes acknowledged her participation in a statement released through a representative. She apologized to the residents and the university community, describing her actions as “insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful.” She said she had not previously met the women and did not know their race, while acknowledging the pain her behavior caused.
Her explanation addresses her claimed intent. It does not resolve the concerns raised by students about the conduct or its effect on their sense of security.
For the Black residents, the incident reached into a space where they should have been able to feel comfortable: their home. Jakiyra Metcalf, one of the students living in the apartment, shared the recording online, drawing national attention to behavior that otherwise might have remained confined to a hallway.
University officials have condemned the conduct and announced an investigation. In a Nov. 8 campus message, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead said university staff had contacted the affected students to offer assistance. The review involves the student conduct office and the office responsible for equal opportunity and regulatory compliance.
Mead also cautioned against spreading unverified accusations. The university said an uninvolved student had been incorrectly identified online and clarified that no members of its sorority community participated. Federal student privacy protections limit what officials can disclose about individual disciplinary proceedings.
Meanwhile, students and parents are seeking more than a statement of condemnation. Mississippi Today reported calls for disciplinary consequences, stronger support for the affected residents and clearer education about expectations for student behavior.
Black Student Union President Demetrick Stringer Jr. urged the university to strengthen how incoming students learn its commitments to dignity and respect. His response placed prevention alongside accountability: The institution must address what happened while working to prevent another student from experiencing similar treatment.
Kunes’ withdrawal changes her enrollment status, but the broader questions remain. What will the investigation establish? How will the affected students be supported? And what actions will demonstrate that the university’s stated values govern everyday student life?
Those answers will determine whether this episode produces lasting institutional change after the attention surrounding the video fades.
