After multiple videos by the Black Menaces surfaced in the early weeks of the Fall 2023 semester, several students and former subjects of videos by the Black Menaces filed complaints to BYU’s Office of Belonging. Many of these complaints outlined concerns with the nature of the videos conducted by the Black Menaces, including their potential infringement on BYU’s Filming and Photography Policy. After several of the complaints were submitted, the Office of Belonging did not reach out to any of the students for months, except to one who proactively emailed the Office to make an appointment.
In early December 2023, about three months after the filing of complaints against the Black Menaces, Alvin Guo, a student featured in our article on the ASU club leadership, was contacted by an investigator from the University’s Equal Opportunity office regarding complaints made by ASU club members; the students alleged Alvin made “false and inflammatory statements” about the encounter in the library mentioned in the article. After Alvin visited the Equal Opportunity office, these complaints were ultimately dismissed, and the case was subsequently dropped.
After learning of the near-immediate response from the Equal Opportunity investigator in reaching out to Alvin, a student who months prior had issued a complaint concerning the Black Menaces emailed the investigator and other school officials, asking why the Black Menaces case was blatantly ignored. Shortly after reaching out, the Equal Opportunity officer contacted some of the students who filed complaints against the Black Menaces; these students were interviewed individually, and eventually, each case was dropped.
While it is not the responsibility of the Equal Opportunity investigator to determine which cases they do or do not investigate, the question remains as to why the Office of Belonging decided not to send the complaints filed by several students concerning the Black Menaces. The swift, immediate response to the complaints concerning Alvin was not applied to the several students who filed complaints in the early Fall 2023 semester. For perspective, the majority of the complaints against the Black Menaces were filed the week of September 21, 2023, and were not addressed until mid-January 2024, while the complaints against Alvin were addressed within a few weeks.
Additionally, it must be noted again that the complaints against the Black Menaces were only taken up after an email was sent to University officials upon hearing of the quick response to the allegations against Alvin; it is unknown whether these complaints would have been considered without the email inquiry. While it is unclear whether the refusal to consider the complaints was intentional, a student in their interview with the Equal Opportunity officer asked why the case was not pursued earlier; the officer could not provide a concrete answer concerning the delayed response.
Written by: The Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Photo Credit: BYU Photo
Just another typical EEO handling of a problem. How is this even newsworthy??
Thanks for bringing the lack off equal treatment to our attention. The menaces, in my opinion, are most hurtful to minorities on campus. Equally questioning every potentially harmful behavior is important, and helps with healing.
All the members of the Black Menaces should be expelled from BYU for their apostate acts of supporting the false religion of anto-racism, including such ideas as where original sin.
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