MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University students are raging against former classmate Paige Shoemaker over an allegedly racist comment posted to Snapchat.

Shoemaker, a sophomore this spring who did not enroll in the fall semester, posted a picture Tuesday morning with a friend posing with back facial masks and flashing gang signs, along with the message “Feels good to finally be a nigga,” the Kansas City Star reports.

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The post was then tagged to the school’s Facebook page, and senior Desmond Weathers reposted the message to Twitter, where it generated more than 5,000 re-tweets and unleashed a massive backlash.

Weathers spread the post “to not only vent a little but to show people that this mentality still exists on Kansas State’s campus,” he told USA Today. Weathers’ Twitter post included the offensive picture and a caption of Shoemaker’s profile, which includes a picture with friends, one of them black.

Shoemaker attempted to apologize and explain in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon.

“Sadie Meier and I want to formally apologize for the picture that has gone viral of us. We clearly understand that what was said and done was completely disrespectful. I did want to inform everyone that it was NOT ‘black face,’ but it was a L’Oreal clay facial mask. The signs that were thrown also is an inside joke between our friends that represents ‘west coast is the best coast.’ We never intended for the picture to offend anyone,” Shoemaker wrote.

“People shouldn’t joke around about suck a serious topic as this because it feeds into racism. We accept that there will be people who won’t forgive us, but something has to be said. Ask anyone who knows us, we are the most accepting and least racist people. We know that we will ride up and learn from this mistake. We will be better and make sure to do more than someone who is a true racist. We will battle everyone for the right to make things right, because we know what we did was wrong.”

College officials sent out a letter to students, faculty and staff condemning the post.

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“(T)here is no place for racism at our university, regardless of what the intentions may have been. … K-State prides itself on being one family, no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or abilities,” Dean of students Pat Bosco said, according to the Kansas State Collegian, the student news site.

The statement also listed Kansas State’s diversity initiatives.

“Even with these initiatives, we obviously still have work to do,” Bosco said. “We are firmly committed to the principles of community at Kansas State University, and it is important that we educate our students daily on these principles. We must do better, and we will do better.”

Regardless, students are using the ordeal as a launching pad for social justice against “racist” students.

“We are deeply invested in addressing this issue,” student body president Jessica Van Ranken told the Collegian. “Racism should not be tolerated at K-State and should have consequences. We are disappointed that racism persists in the K-State community, and we are committed to working against racism and the systemic issues that perpetuate its presence. We are working with administration on this issue, and are aware that the Office of Institutional Equity and the Climate Response Team are working to address this issue.”

Shoemaker’s former sorority also issued a statement on Facebook to ensure everyone knows she was expelled in the spring of 2015.

The Collegian heckled Shoemaker’s former employer, the Qdoba restaurant in the student union building, about the former student’s offensive post.

“Whatever is going on with (Shoemaker) has nothing to do with Qdoba,” general manager Amber Valdiva said.

The Kansas State Black Student Union issued a statement in response to the post urging university officials to ban Shoemaker from the school for life. The BSU also issued several demands they “believe need to happen in order to start creating social justice.

The demands include a new Multicultural Student Center, more scholarships for poor students, a mandatory cultural competency course for students and a special anti-racism policy in the student code of conduct, according to the student news site.