OXFORD, Miss. — An 18-year-old student has left the University of Mississippi after a doorbell camera recording showing her and another woman making ape gestures outside a Black classmate’s off-campus apartment drew national condemnation and triggered a university investigation.
The footage, captured on Friday, Nov. 6, shows freshman Alaina Kunes pounding her chest and producing primate noises in front of a Ring security camera. A second woman then bounds into view and mimics similar noises, while a third woman walks past the doorway laughing. Freshman Jakiyra Metcalf, who resides in the apartment with two other Black roommates, shared the clip to TikTok, where it accumulated millions of views across the weekend.
Student issues apology and leaves school
Kunes issued a formal apology Tuesday through a statement distributed by a Chicago legal firm, stating she did not realize who lived behind the door before the clip drew widespread attention online.
“To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize,” Kunes said in the written release, as reported by NBC News. “I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful. I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color.”
Kunes stated that she reached out directly to apologize to the residents and noted that she and her relatives have received harassment and death threats in the days following the incident. While Kunes signed the note identifying herself as a university freshman, a source close to the teenager told NBC News that she has withdrawn from the institution. Local station Action News 5 also reported that she is no longer enrolled.
University launches administrative probe
University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead denounced the recording in a Sunday message addressed to the campus community, confirming that the school had initiated a formal inquiry.
“Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at the University of Mississippi,” Mead said, according to The Guardian US. “Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community.”
Mead explained that the matter is being reviewed by the university’s Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance Office alongside the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct. She also noted that campus authorities offered resources and counseling services to the targeted students, while confirming that no members of the university’s sorority system participated in the incident.
Family seeks accountability
Metcalf’s mother, Tasha Bolton, voiced sharp frustration on Facebook over the weekend, identifying the women shown in the recording as upstairs neighbors living above her daughter.
“This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,” Bolton wrote, according to The Guardian US. “College is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow, and feel safe.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has also started examining complaints submitted regarding the incident, communications director Candi Richardson confirmed to NBC News.
University officials have not commented on the current enrollment status or potential disciplinary proceedings regarding the other women featured in the video.
