At Kent State University in Ohio, an a cappella group that claims to oppose discrimination reportedly enforced a policy that barred white students from even auditioning for certain solos — then moved to discipline a member who dared question it.
Emails obtained by Campus Reform showed that Vocal Intensity A Cappella limited solos in one song strictly to “people of color,” arguing that allowing white students to audition would amount to “cultural appropriation.” The rule didn’t sit well with Mark Phillips, a three-year member and the group’s beatboxer, who asked the group’s executive board how that policy squared with Kent State’s own ban on racial discrimination. Phillips wrote that while he respected concerns about authenticity, “Art, music, and culture are meant to be shared and celebrated, not gatekept,” and that the strongest performance should win.
For raising that question, the board accused Phillips of violating the university’s anti-discrimination policy — the very policy meant to prevent the kind of race-based exclusion he was objecting to. The board placed him on probation and ordered him to appear before the entire group in a disciplinary hearing where he would “plead his case” and potentially face permanent removal.
The board doubled down in follow-up correspondence, reiterating that the solos would remain restricted to black students unless reversed by a vote. The planned hearing involved closed-door proceedings, time-limited speeches, and even guidelines for immediate expulsion should the group choose removal. If kept, Phillips would have been placed on months-long probation.
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That structure stands in stark contrast to Kent State’s written rules, which explicitly forbid racial discrimination and retaliation against students who challenge it. The university’s policy states, “This policy prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, age, and protected military or veteran status. Retaliation for reporting or participating in the complaint process is also prohibited.”
It also clashes with Ohio’s recently enacted Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which bars race-based advantages in public universities.
Phillips ultimately resigned and called the disciplinary process a “performative ambush” aimed at punishing him for opposing discrimination. In his resignation letter, he wrote, “Denying opportunities based on skin color is discrimination by definition.”
Speaking to Campus Reform, Phillips said, “What I really want is for people to bring common sense back and stop pretending that people of color are oppressed in this country. I want people to realize that we are meant to celebrate what we have in common instead of dividing and fighting over our differences.”
The Daily Wire reached out to Kent State for comment.
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