Marist Social Media Team Deletes Instagram Post Due to Negative Feedback

The social media team at the Marist College Office of Marketing and Communication deleted a recent post on the college’s official Instagram. The post announced the Student Emergency Fund, which would sponsor one-time grants for returning students impacted by COVID-19. Over 300 comments on the post included calls for further action from the college following national protests and President Dennis J. Murray’s memorandum to the Marist community.

Julia Fishman, director of Media Relations for the Office of Marketing and Communication, said that they deleted the post following a conversation with the Office of College Advancement because of negative feedback received from alumni regarding the push for donations amid “such a difficult time.”

“While the intention of the post was to support our current students, we were being respectful of the feedback from our alumni,” Fishman said in an email to the Marist Circle. “The decision to remove the call for donations was made out of sensitivity to that issue and not to silence anyone regarding the important issues of race currently facing the nation.”

The Marist Student Emergency Fund had accumulated $216,975 from 388 donors as of Wednesday evening. Alumni received requests for donations via mail as well as email. Despite the removal of the Instagram post announcing the fund, the fund has not been suspended and no formal statement regarding its removal had been issued as of Wednesday. The campaign will end on June 30 at 11:59 EDT.

An Instagram account, @redfoxes_againstracism, captured a sample of the comments on the now-deleted Marist Instagram post. In an Instagram story, the account shared the following message: “This is a clear act of censorship and if you were one of the people whose voices were silenced we’d ask that you once again comment on this linked post below. Don’t let them silence you.” The link led to the most recent post on the college’s Instagram where students have now redirected their comments.

Marist College commented on the post with the response shared with the Marist Circle:

“As an institution of higher education we understand the value in differing opinions and appreciate the discourse that can occur on social media. We regret that the removal seemed tied to anything else. The College is actively planning to continue the dialogue on race issues.”

The comment from Marist also welcomes students to email mediarelations@marist.edu with further concerns.