Fairfield University is investigating what was termed a "ghetto-themed" party that took place at an off-campus residence over the weekend.
According to The Connecticut Post, the school also took the party as an opportunity to address racial sensitivity on campus. Fairfield officials were alerted to the party when a photo posted by an attendee was circulated on social media.
The school said in a statement it would take "appropriate action" after completing its investigation, Patch.com reported.
"There was a party on Saturday evening, at a house on the beach," Jennifer Anderson, vice president of marketing and communications, told The Post. "We are working to understand the details."
Anderson included that students are not exempt from the school's conduct code if they happen to leave campus when they go home. Both on- and off-campus residents are held to the same standard.
Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, the president of the private Roman Catholic institution, condemned the party in an email to the campus community, The New York Times reported. He also stated that he had spoken with students who had direct knowledge of it and were troubled by the party.
"Their concerns go beyond the incident this weekend," Rev. von Arx wrote. "To some within our community, this incident is symptomatic of conditions on campus that inhibit our many positive efforts to build a more inclusive, respectful and safer community."
In his letter, von Arx outlined a response to help promote inclusion and racial sensitivity on campus, The Post reported. In addition to the Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs extending its hours this week, the administration and student government are planning open forums for public discussion.
"Sometimes we make decisions and don't know what the outcomes are on other people," Marelyn Maces, a freshman from Bridgeport, told The Post. "We have to think twice about what we're doing. We're not just affecting ourselves, we're affecting everyone around us."
