Update: Student who threw a banana at a black Hallam student at Varsity has apparently been disciplined

The student who threw a banana at a black Hallam student during ice hockey Varsity is believed to have been banned from future Varsity events.

This is according to a source high up in Sheffield SU, although the university told The Tab they could neither confirm nor deny that this was the case.

Almost four weeks on from the incident, the investigation is still ongoing. Sheffield Hallam Students' Union President Luke Renwick issued a statement yesterday saying: "The University of Sheffield has completed its investigation and appropriate action has been taken".

Renwick later corrected this, saying: "I have received a separate update which now states that the investigation has not been completed and is in fact still ongoing through the University of Sheffield disciplinary procedures."

It is also unknown how long the investigation will last and, although the student has been identified, it is unclear whether action will be taken against them or whether they will be identified outside of the investigation.

Tyrell Pearce, the black Hallam student who had a banana thrown at him at Varsity, and Sheffield SU's BME committee have not received any updates from the University on the investigation. The BME committee told The Tab this is despite spending hours with university personnel in meetings about the incident.

It is understood that a committee member was told by a high-level member of staff at the Students' Union that a decision had been made as part of the investigation.

Speaking to The Tab, committee chair Hajira Liaquat said:

"In terms of the university's response to this incident, I am extremely disappointed. Rather than have conversations with us, it has been me who has had to take the lead on this and try to convey the severity of racism to this university.

"I have tried to explain to the University that these incidences have severe effects on students, yet this does not seem to be a concern. It is obvious that their primary concern is to avoid receiving negative publicity, and not the many students who have experienced racism on campus.

"I would like a public apology from the university for the appalling manner they have handled cases of racism on campus and for them to begin to take these cases seriously and with urgency."

A racist message saying "too many asians" was written on a whiteboard in a Sheffield Hallam library last week. This means there have been four known incidents of racism in the past four weeks at the Sheffield unis.

The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Students' Union President Kieran Maxwell declined to comment on the situation.

If you've experienced racism at the University of Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam University please get in touch, we will keep your correspondence anonymous: [email protected]

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