'I was racially abused and uni initially offered me £150 after I waited a year for action'

A university student who reported being the victim of racist abuse by two other students had to wait a year before the issue was addressed and was then initially offered £150 as compensation for the delay.

Jordan said he was at a Halloween party in October 2024 when the racist comments were made.

Having reported the incident to Cardiff University, he said he expected the students involved to be removed but they are still at the university, and the institution has refused to reveal what sanctions were imposed.

Cardiff University said: "We condemn racism in all its forms and we are unequivocal in our position on this: We will not tolerate racism in our institution."

The university initially offered Jordan £150 for delays in its investigation, later increasing this to £500 after a review.

This article contains references to racism - all names of people involved have been changed

Jordan had been in student halls for about two months before he said he was racially abused by two other students while attending a party with a friend, Sam.

Jordan said one of Sam's friends, Will, was dressed as rapper Soulja Boy and holding a toy gun, and while asking about Jordan's prisoner costume told him he did not need to be dressed up in order to look like a criminal.

Jordan, who said he was the only black person at the party, challenged Will on the racist stereotype, only for Will to reply he had considered "going in black face".

Jordan said a second incident occurred outside the party, where another one of Sam's friends, Henry, was using a vape.

Jordan said after asking what flavour vape it was, Henry replied it was banana and he hated it, but that he expected Jordan would like it.

"I didn't really believe it, I was thinking maybe he accidentally said that to me," Jordan said.

"I said, 'are you saying that because I'm black?', and he just said 'yeah'.

"I told him how lucky he is saying that here, surrounded by everyone else who looks exactly like him, and that I'm the only person here to defend myself."

Jordan, now 21, has not reported the incident to police. He said he felt discouraged from doing so, believing the university would resolve the matter internally.

After waiting a year for the investigation report, which upheld his complaint, the university said: "The comments made... were racist in their nature and wholly unacceptable and in breach of the expectations of student conduct."

Out of the possible sanctions, the student conduct procedure said it could include writing an apology letter, attending an educational workshop, a formal warning to remain on record for a specified time, and being banned from graduation events.

Jordan said he felt let down that these sanctions were those "usually available only for minor concerns".

"I just feel like it's been dealt with really badly. I just don't understand how they can classify it as racism and say it's a minor incident. How does that make any sense?

"I feel like every single person of colour has been let down."

Jordan said the university would not tell him how Will and Henry were punished.

When asked by the BBC, the university refused to comment on the sanctions.

In the report, the university said the interviews with Will and Henry were confidential and due to data protection regulations, it was limited in what information it could share.

"I don't know how they've been sanctioned, [Will and Henry] smirk at me, still speak to me, even though they've been punished because of me."

Jordan requested a review of the decision but it was returned almost three months later with no change.

However, his initial offer of £150 was increased to £500 by the university for the delay.

Jordan said he has since seen the pair on nights out and they have tried to interact with him.

He believes they will graduate without any record of their racist comments for employers to see, which he thinks is wrong.

"If they're saying that to me in public, what are they saying behind closed doors, what are they saying online and to other people who agree with them?"

Jordan said he felt he has been left to deal with the situation alone over the past year: "Even thinking about it now, I'm getting the sinking feeling, it's been a year of just thinking 'I really hope I don't bump into them'.

"I feel like if it were the other way around, it would be dealt with so differently.

"Since I was little, I've always felt I've got into trouble for things I didn't do. I feel like this is even more personal than it already was, because it annoys me to know that if I did the same thing, I could be kicked out. I could have a different reaction to what they've got."

Jordan said he wanted the two men to know that if they continued to abuse others "there will come a time when you are no longer shielded by anonymity or indifference".

Cardiff University said it condemned racism in all its forms and took allegations extremely seriously.

It said it had robust procedures to investigate complaints and take action based on the available evidence, but it would be inappropriate to comment on the outcome of an individual and anonymous case.

The university added that students could also take concerns to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator or report incidents to the police.

"We recognise that there is still a huge amount of work to do. Racism and racial harassment remain a significant problem in higher education institutions across Wales and the UK, and for wider society," a spokesperson said.

"We are committed to open, transparent and challenging dialogue on racism, and on equality, diversity and inclusion."

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