(Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images Entertainment)
In light of the University of Connecticut’s decision to cancel Sean Kingston’s scheduled appearance at UCONNIC on April 11, students at Fordham University are urging their school to cancel Kingston’s appearance at their spring concert as well.
A movement at Fordham calling for the removal of Kingston as their school’s spring weekend headliner is predominantly gaining popularity on an Instagram account called StudentsAgainstSean, according to the Fordham Observer. The account is run by six Fordham students and follows hundreds of others.
Emily Mueller, one of the students who runs the Instagram account, gave a speech denouncing Kingston on April 10 to Fordham’s Student Life Council, where school administrators and deans were also present, the Observer said.
“So many factors of this situation have only discredited survivors even more and belittled sexual assault. What kind of message do you think this is sending to survivors at Fordham?” Mueller said in her speech. “Once again, the reason rape culture still exists is because people in power, such as this administration and advisors, only condemn sexual assault with their words when it’s convenient and take no stand when real action is needed.”
In response to the movement, Fordham’s United Student Government (USG) released a statement on April 11 calling for the removal of Sean Kingston from their school’s Spring Weekend lineup, the Observer said.
StudentsAgainstSean has also started an online petition to cancel Kingston’s concert.
“Sean Kingston is a credibly accused sexual assailant. Fordham University still has him booked for our upcoming winter concert co-headliner after this concern has been brought to their attention time and time again,” a description of the petition reads. “Please sign this petition if you believe Fordham administration should cancel Kingston’s performance, which is in their power, to take a stand against sexual assault, especially in the month of Sexual Assault Awareness.”
In 2013, allegations surfaced that Kingston and his bodyguard gang raped a 19-year-old after a Justin Bieber concert in July 2010, according to TMZ. The woman claims she was too intoxicated to consent.
Kingston is currently scheduled to perform at Fordham University on April 27, according to the school’s Campus Activities Board Instagram page.
Gabriella DeBenedictis is a senior staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at gabriella.debenedictis@uconn.edu.
