Responding to an outcry from a few hundred students, Fordham University removed Jamaican rapper Sean Kingston from its Spring Weekend performance lineup on Saturday, April 29, amid rape accusations, which date back to 2010.
Leading the charge was Rose Hill campus undergraduate student Meg Vanecko, who had told the university’s Campus Advisories Board that Kingston did not represent the school’s Jesuit values. “Fordham’s Student Life staff listened very carefully as the students protesting Mr. Kingston’s slated appearance engaged in a robust dialogue with their peers on the student-led Campus Activities Board,” said Bob Howe, a representative for Fordham. Vanceko started an online campaign opposing Kingston’s slated performance on Thursday, April 4. Creating an Instagram account called StudentsAgaisntSean.
“After hearing multiple perspectives and having had time to gather all available information including additional concerns regarding Mr. Kingston’s appearance we decided to remove him from the Spring Weekend lineup,” Howe said.
“We are mindful that this is an extraordinary measure for the University to take, but also that the concerns raised are extraordinary and have been thoroughly discussed by the student organizations involved,” he continued.
Soulja Boy, another troubled rapper, was also set to perform at the spring weekend along with Kingston.
That was until he was sentenced to 240 days for a probation violation, separate to accusations revolving around the abduction of a woman.
