Ole Miss has launched an investigation into three white coeds caught on a Ring doorbell camera making monkey noises outside a black students' apartment — and the university's diversity apparatus is already using the viral clip to justify expanded oversight of campus expression.
The footage, timestamped Nov. 6 at approximately 8:37 p.m., shows two women approaching the door — one beating her chest and making monkey noises, the second doing the same toward the camera. A third woman walks past while glancing at the door. Ole Miss student Jakiyra Metcalf shared the video to TikTok on Saturday, identifying the women as her upstairs neighbors and captioning it: "What do we have to say about this??" The clip has since surpassed 11 million views.
The behavior was crude and racist. A woman identifying herself as the mother of one of the black students in the apartment posted a Facebook video calling the coeds' actions "disgusting and unacceptable." "College is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow, and feel safe," she said. "If you watch this video and genuinely don't see anything wrong with this type of behavior, please delete me. We clearly don't share the same values."
What happened next followed the familiar campus script. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead branded the video "deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable" and declared the behavior "does not reflect our university's values or the kind of community we strive to be every day." A university representative said Ole Miss "has reached out to those targeted by the actions to share information, resources, and support" and is "committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment."
Notice what's missing from the administrative response: any discussion of what specific rule was broken, what the investigation process actually entails, or what consequences the students might face. Instead, it's the standard diversity-bureaucracy formulation — "values," "community," "well-being" — language designed to signal institutional concern while reserving maximum discretionary power for administrators.
The New York Post framed the incident as straightforward racism requiring investigation. Breitbart included more detail on the video's circulation and the mother's full statement. Neither outlet questioned what the university's "investigation" actually means, or whether administrators will use this incident to expand speech codes that reach well beyond racist harassment.
The identities of the three women have not been revealed. The university says it is "actively" investigating.
Three young women acted like fools on camera, and they'll face whatever the university decides to impose. The open question is whether Ole Miss stops at individual accountability — or whether this becomes another justification for the permanent expansion of campus speech policing that will eventually be turned on students who hold the wrong opinions on any number of contested issues.
