UNR Student Faces Backlash Online After Calling Out Students Holding Borgs Spelling Racial Slur
Reporting, graphic and podcast by Tenaya Brusig, Misha Fajayan and Haloh Quinones
Dreanna Haywood spent her first semester at the University of Nevada, Reno the way many students do, focused on getting good grades and adjusting to campus life, after transferring from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Online though, the 20-year-old sophomore became a central figure, helping expose two UNR students holding “borgs” arranged to spell out a racial slur, before herself facing backlash for doing so.
Haywood discovered the racist image on the Nevada Yik Yak back in late February and started commenting about it on TikTok and Instagram, before others, including media, took notice. Students also started reaching out to her to share other racism they had encountered on campus and in Reno.
“I’m tired of so many students reaching out to me because they’ve also experienced something like this and they’ve been here longer than me, and it’s just the norm here. It should never be the norm. It should never be that we just have to get used to being called slurs,” said Haywood.
While some social media users have criticized Haywood for speaking out, others see her actions as necessary in calling out racism and forcing a conversation about accountability at the university.
“They’re walking to class and they’ve had people in cars yell out slurs to them and they just had to keep going. I’ve had students say that they’ve seen and heard microaggressive things towards them. Like this is not something that’s new it’s just not being talked about,” added Haywood.
Haywood has faced significant backlash through Yik Yak, which allows users within a five-mile radius to post and view discussion threads. Primarily aimed at college students, it provides a hub for sharing news, memes, gossip, and humor.
“Knowing that app people post anonymously meaning they’re too afraid to say it to your face. They’re too afraid to actually come behind a real account,” said Haywood.
The social media landscape has allowed rumors and even AI images to circulate misinformation about Haywood.
One depicted Haywood as being on the show “Love Island,” while another put her face over the body of controversial social media personality Logan Paul.
“I think it did affect me academically. Like I did have to drop one of my classes because it became too much and, you know, your phone is always blowing up and you’re new here,” said Haywood.
“Like if people are going as far as to create fake rumors and create fake images about me then I think I’m just a bit more attentive to what else could they possibly say. They’re going to try to find something to nitpick,” added Haywood.
A “borg” is a gallon jug filled with a mix of alcohol, electrolyte powder, juice, and flavoring. Students often personalize their “borgs" by customizing designs, names, and brightly coloring their cocktail.
“When we’re going to these tailgates and we’re going to have fun, we’re supposed to write something funny. It should never be something that should be triggering and something that is just out of pure hatred for a certain group of people,” said Haywood.
Afterwards, with other UNR students, Haywood held “borgs” that spelled out “Breaking Oppression. Raising Ground,” which gained social media traction as a counter movement.
“I don’t know if we did it with the intention of trying to start a whole movement, but rather trying to reclaim what borgs mean and trying to shine positive light on it rather than just like something that’s so dark,” Haywood explained.
Haywood says she filed a report with the University two months ago concerning the racist photo, with the two students also seen in a video holding the borgs inside a fraternity next to campus.
“I have yet to receive anything since then from anyone else until now, which they sent that complaint to the civil rights department. So I think they're just prolonging the whole entire process,” said Haywood.
“No one from any other department, like, who should be helping me, who should be responding immediately. Crickets. I checked my email every day. Both of them, all of them, up and down. Like I think they’re just handling it a bit poorly and I think it should be taken more seriously,” she said.
After the racist image was republished in the Nevada Sagebrush student newspaper, UNR President Brian Sandoval indicated in a message: “We want to be clear: racism, discrimination, and bias are fundamentally inconsistent with the University’s core values and our commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive learning environment for all members of our community.”
There has been no mention of any repercussions for the students holding up the racist borgs though, with other students repeatedly expressing their concerns in social media comments about a lack of university action.
“When incidents like that where a certain a racial group is being targeted or obviously facing racism and stuff, what are you going to do when that happens? Instead of, you know, it's just a continuous like positivity, like they want to celebrate, but they don't want to help. You know, they're this group is being targeted and it's like, what are you going to do about it,” Maia Ancho, a third-year student majoring in journalism said.
After asking about the current status of the two students holding the borgs, the University provided a statement saying:
“The University rejects any form of racism, discrimination, or bias and such behavior stands in clear opposition to the University’s mission and values. We remain firmly committed to fostering a campus environment where all students feel respected, supported and heard.
University leadership has had thoughtful, productive and focused discussions to move beyond reactive responses and take more proactive, sustained action to support our students and strengthen our campus climate.
The University is actively holding space, both formally and informally, for students to share, process and be supported. This includes regular opportunities for dialogue as well as many individual conversations and meetings with students to better understand the impact of not only this event, but also other experiences on campus.
As we move forward, the University is implementing several initiatives, including creating additional platforms for students to share their voices and communicate directly with University leadership; establishing regular gatherings at the Multicultural Center to provide a safe, supportive space for students to connect, share and support one another; and using the results of campus climate surveys distributed this fall to guide future programming, educational opportunities, and awareness efforts that address the concerns students are expressing
In regard to your inquiry regarding the students, the University is not able to provide any findings or results of the investigation in question due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).”
Despite the challenges and stress of recent months, Haywood says she is taking her first semester in Reno as a bigger calling to not be afraid and speak up about what concerns her. She plans to come back, and in the future she says she sees herself working through the student association ASUN to make a lasting impact.
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