(November 7, 2006)—An online video produced by three Texas A&M students that shows a student with black shoe polish on his face acting as a slave while another student with a 12th Man towel hanging from his pocket acts as a master, whipping and assaulting the student in blackface, was stirring controversy Tuesday.

A&M President Robert Gates called the video “moronic.”

In an editorial Tuesday, the Texas A&M student newspaper, The Battalion, called it “a vulgar online viral video” that “gave the world the impression that Aggies are racist and uncivilized.”

Click Here For Battalion Editorial

Gates, in an open letter Tuesday, called the video “so utterly disgusting that, regardless of race, religion or background, I believe virtually any member of our Aggie family would be outraged and ashamed if they viewed it.”

Click Here For Open Letter From A&M President Robert Gates

“The hateful video is not simply an example of poor judgment and insensitivity; it appears to have been purposefully produced to insult and demean,” Gates wrote.

“Those who made it are no true Aggies, and I expect they will have to live with the consequences of their actions in this matter for a very long time,” Gates wrote.

Gates said university officials believe they have identified the students involved in producing the video.

The public site on which it was posted removed the video after university officials contacted the operators, Gates said.

The university scheduled a community forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the incident.

Similar forums have been held at Baylor University after pictures from a fraternity party posted on a popular Internet site showed some white students in blackface.

The controversy that erupted over the photos served as a catalyst for broader discussions of race relations and racial awareness on the Baylor campus.

Click Here For A&M Web Site

Click Here For Baylor University Web Site

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