The University of Guelph says it is investigating a report made by a popular American comedian and YouTuber that an engineering student made a homophobic slur on social media.
Chris Klemens, who has nearly 1.3 million YouTube followers, reached out to the university on Wednesday night with a series of tweets.
In the tweets, Klemens accused the student of using the slur in private messages towards a friend. The comedian explained that his friend posted screenshots of the conversation publicly.
Klemens then began conversing with the student in question in the comment section and warned that he would be sending the screenshots to the head of the school’s engineering department.
The university responded later that evening with its own tweet.
“We are disheartened by this notification,” the university tweeted. “UofG is an inclusive community that welcomes all. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Klemens then responded on Thursday afternoon by saying, “thank you for taking care of this.”
In a statement on Thursday, the university described the statement allegedly made by the student as troubling and hurtful.
The associate vice-president of diversity and human rights Indira Naidoo-Harris said the university is committed to creating safe, respectful and supportive environments.
“We remain firm in our efforts to combat acts of hatred and discrimination that occur within our midst,” she said.
“The university takes all acts of hate seriously and is currently looking into this matter to determine next steps.”