Leaders at Kennesaw State University are scrambling to contain a social media firestorm sparked by a video that's quickly gone viral.
It shows a faculty member threatening to call campus security on a student who showed up for help.
Kevin Bruce, a junior at KSU, says he was simply waiting for one of his exercise science advisers to sign a form when another adviser came out and accused him of harassment.
Bruce recorded the exchange with his phone.
Bruce: "I'm not harassing no one."
Adviser: "You are."
Bruce: "I'm not."
Adviser: "I can call security. You can fill out the form just like everybody else does."
Bruce: "OK. I'm just waiting to talk to talk to someone. I'm not harassing no one, though."
"I was shocked, but I wasn't surprised," Bruce said about the incident.
Bruce says he's still shocked that an academic adviser at the school's WellStar College of Health and Human Services threatened to call security on him.
"I've dealt with her before, and she's pretty much very difficult to like get a hold of," Bruce said.
In the video, Bruce continued to defend his right to wait on the instructor.
Adviser: "Sitting here until somebody's available is harassing them."
Bruce: "That's not harassing them."
Adviser: "It is. Would you like me to call campus security?"
Bruce: "I mean…"
Adviser: "I will go do that."
Bruce: "OK."
The video went viral online and reaction on social media was swift from people lashing out at the adviser, to accusations of racism.
"I don't know her that well to say it's a race thing, I just know she's disrespectful," Bruce told WSB.
The adviser in the video did not return messages to WSB, but in a written statement, a school representative said:
"Kennesaw State University officials are working with a student to review his concerns regarding the behavior of an academic advisor. Kennesaw State University officials take seriously all student concerns and are dedicated to promoting a positive academic advising experience for all students."
Bruce was set to meet with school leaders Thursday evening. He does admit to a having a previous incident with the same adviser.
WSB spent Thursday afternoon trying to reach the faculty member to get her side, but has been unable to reach her. For that reason she is not identified in this article or the video.
At this point WSB can't confirm what happened before or after what was recorded in the video.
