WHITEWATER, Wis. – A “hurtful and destructive” image used by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper to justify a quest “to create a culture that is inclusive” was apparently not racist at all.

Kopper told News 3 she jumped to conclusions about a picture posted by two students to Snapchat in what she assumed was blackface when she shot off a statement Thursday morning condemning the image as “hurtful and destructive to our campus community,” Channel 3000 reports.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

The “disturbing racist post” was only the latest in long line of “racial slurs and microaggressions” perpetuated on campus against minority students, the reason she tasked Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Rios with launching a task force to right the racial injustices through “an action plan for moving us forward,” Kopper wrote in a statement posted to the university’s website.

Kopper later told Channel 3000 the “racist post” was really a misunderstanding, but offered no apology to the students for her sharp words, and seemed to insinuate the overblown issue was somehow their fault.

“The students were very upset, they were very remorseful. They didn’t think about the implications and impact that it would have,” Kopper said, adding that she’s decided not to punish the innocent students.

The chancellor issued a public statement about the mix-up through spokeswoman Sara Kuhl, according to GazetteXtra.

“We’ve spoken with the students who were pictured on social media, and it was determined that they were using a cosmetic facial mask and did not intend to cause harm to anyone. However, there was a negative reaction to the photo from students, parents and alumni, and I felt like I needed to respond to the situation at the time,” the statement read.

“I have made it clear to the campus community that the campus culture issues that we are faced with must be resolved. I have implemented a working group, and I will meet with students again next week to create action plans. I am committed to developing long-term strategies in which all students, faculty and staff members feel respected, heard and appreciated for their life experiences and their differences,” it continued.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

Wisconsin state Sen. Steve Nass condemned the taxpayer-funded university for the bumbling ineptitude that caused the controversy, and pointed out that the post contained nothing other than the face treatment to suggest a racist motivation.

“The racial overreaction of Chancellor Beverly Kopper and other UW-Whitewater administrators without first checking the facts of the situation is a stark example of how political correctness has warped the mindset of highly educated university administrators,” Nash said.

“Frankly, these are the people responsible for educating our sons and daughters, but they seem incapable of applying reason or common sense.”

The bottom line is the university created a race issue where there wasn’t one, Nash said.

“UW-Whitewater failed to fully review the picture and its context prior to issuing a racially charted statement,” Nash said. “The official statement misled students, parents and the public by confirming that a racist event had occurred, even though it really hadn’t.”