Some Dallas charter school students say they were subjected to racial slurs while visiting Texas A&M.
The black high school students said white college students yelled the racial slurs at them while they toured the campus with their school group. About 60 high school juniors from the Uplift Hampton campus went to College Station on Tuesday to tour the college to inspire them and give them a taste of college life.
But instead they said they got lesson in racism.
Some Uplift students said they were approached by an A&M student during the tour who asked what they thought of her confederate flag earrings.
A short time later on the tour, some other A&M students allegedly yelled racial slurs at the high schoolers. Those comments were heard by an Uplift faculty member.
State Senator Royce West of Dallas was notified directly by an A&M chancellor of the incident. West said for years he's been trying to tear down barriers for minorities in higher education and has a close relationship with educators there.
He believes the A&M students involved should face swift punishment.
"If these students did in fact do this, they should be expelled," West said.
A statement from Uplift Hampton reads in part: "We are proud of our scholars for the grace and composure with which they responded to the college students who chose to engage in a disrespectful and unacceptable manner."
Texas A&M President Michael K. Young said the school was not happy with what reportedly happened to the high school students.
"I am outraged and tremendously disappointed in the behavior displayed by a group of students on our College Station campus ... While the actions of a few certainly do not represent our institution as a whole, it is the responsibility of all of us to stop any incidents that could be considered hateful."