A Ring doorbell camera outside an Oxford, Mississippi apartment has set off a university investigation and a wave of national attention after it captured several white women making monkey noises and racist gestures toward the Black students who live there.

The video was posted to TikTok by Jakiyra Metcalf, one of the residents, who said the women are her upstairs neighbors. It has since been viewed more than 12 million times, according to Newsweek. Accounts of exactly how many women are involved differ — some reports describe two making the noises with a third present, others describe three directly participating — but the footage itself has not been disputed.

University Response

University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor Shawnboda Mead confirmed the school is looking into the incident, saying the matter is being actively investigated. A university spokesperson later called the conduct shown in the video offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, according to KY3. Some reports indicate three students now face a formal disciplinary review, though the university has not detailed what conduct charges, if any, have been filed.

"OFFENSIVE, HURTFUL, AND UNACCEPTABLE."

The incident lands on a campus that has weathered a string of high-profile controversies over race in recent years, and it comes as Ole Miss, like many Southern universities, continues to draw scrutiny over how it handles student conduct tied to race. The university has not released the names of the students allegedly involved, and it's unclear whether any criminal complaint has been filed alongside the conduct investigation.

What's Next

The university's conduct process is confidential by policy, meaning the public outcome — if any students are disciplined — may not be announced for weeks. Metcalf's video continues to circulate widely on social media. IBTimes UK reports the clip has drawn comparisons to several past Ole Miss controversies involving race on campus.