Discrimination On College Campuses 2016: Princeton Men's Swimming, Diving Season Suspended For Racist, Misogynistic Messages

Princeton University suspended Thursday the season of its men's swimming and diving squad after being alerted to "vulgar and offensive as well as misogynistic and racist" material on an e-mail listserv used by the teams.

"We make clear to all of our student-athletes that they represent Princeton University at all times, on and off the playing surface and in and out of season, and we expect appropriate, respectful conduct from them at all times," Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the school's director of athletics, said in a statement. "The behavior that we have learned about is simply unacceptable. It is antithetical to the values of our athletic program and of the University, and will not be tolerated."

The exact nature of the materials on the listserv were not yet clear Friday. The school planned to make a final decision over the next few days on whether or not it would cancel the rest of the season, university spokesman John D. Cramer told the New York Times. The men's team was supposed to compete in two more meets as well as the Ivy League Championships in late February.

Other Ivy League schools have had similar instances of improper conduct by their teams.

Harvard University's men's soccer team had its season canceled in November after it was revealed its members had a longstanding tradition of circulating a "scouting report" that made vulgar and sexual comments about the women's soccer team. The so-called reports included hypothetical sexual "positions" for all the players as well as descriptions of their appearance. Columbia University's wrestling team had its season suspended last month after it was discovered members of the team had sent text messages rife with racist, misogynistic and homophobic terms.

Princeton spokesman Cramer did not disclose to the Times the specific details about the material in the listserv, but he did confirm that comments were made about the women's swimming and diving teams.

"I strongly support the decision of our athletic director, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, to suspend a team that has failed to respect the values of this University and the dignity of other students," University President Christopher Eisgruber said in a statement to the Daily Princetonian. "I have asked the athletic department to redouble its efforts to ensure that our teams conduct themselves with the character and ethics that we expect from students representing Princeton University in athletic competition."