College recruiter fired for lining students up by skin color, 'nappiest hair'
A college recruiter has been fired after a controversial visit to a prestigious high school after he asked students to line up based on the color of their skin complexion and by who had the “nappiest” hair.
The incident occurred when a college recruiter for Oklahoma Christian University visited Harding Charter Preparatory School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and allegedly told the students it was time to “play a little game,” according to ABC News' Raleigh station WTVD.
"He barely talked about the school itself," said Rio Brown, a student who was part of the exercise. "I could already see through his BS basically ... he wasn't really knowledgeable how to speak to people even in a diverse school."
The recruiter, who is white, then asked the high school juniors in attendance to self-organize into a line up from darkest skin complexion to lightest skin complexion.
It didn’t stop there.
“He told us to line up. Nappiest hair in the back and straightest hair in the front,” said Korey Todd, another student who was at the assembly.
“That is when I felt uncomfortable. I was like ‘okay, this isn’t right,’” Brown continued.
The students weren’t the only ones who were offended.
"Teachers left," said Todd. "They were crying, and they were offended. Their faces just look disgusted. I know they had a talk with him after, like, 'That's not okay.'"
Oklahoma Christian University took swift action against the recruiter once they learned of the incident, according to a statement released by the school.
"The OC admissions counselor who visited Harding Charter Preparatory Academy on Monday is no longer an Oklahoma Christian University employee,” the statement read. “OC admissions leadership did not approve the inappropriate activity in advance and has communicated closely with Harding administration since the visit. Admissions staff are scheduled to visit the academy Monday to apologize to Harding students and staff on behalf of the University."
The recruiter has not been identified by either Harding Charter Preparatory School or Oklahoma Christian University.
Harding Charter's principal, Steven Stefanick, also released a statement, saying the school condemns the recruiter's behavior.
"Our community, from its inception, has valued diversity, inclusion, and a safe and supportive learning environment. We will continue to do so," the statement read.
“It is just horrible,” said Todd. “I hope it is a wakeup call because many people at the school need to hear how we feel.”
