Syracuse University responded appropriately by condemning the actions of Hanna Strong but the responsibility of fixing the racism and homophobia underlying the incident falls on SU students, not on administration. To enact change, students must be in charge of the conversation that can lead to a solution.

On Saturday, news broke that Hanna Strong, a player on the Syracuse women’s soccer team, was videotaped calling someone a “f*ggot-a** n*gger” in a video that was posted to Instagram. Strong has since been suspended from the team indefinitely, and the university announced that there will be an investigation of the incident.

Students responded to the news on Twitter, using the hashtag #SpeakUpSU to share their thoughts and express the need for more discussion regarding of racism and homophobia. And on Saturday night, student organizations met to begin a discussion on those issues.

These student-led discussions should continue, and all students at SU should actively take part in changing the culture of discrimination that exists at the university.

University-mandated classes or discussions on diversity can only go so far. Nothing the administration does will change the mindset of students, unless students themselves decide to hold their classmates accountable for their words and actions. The photo of Strong that circulated on social media made her the face of the problem, but her overall image is just a reflection of the actual problem.

As seen on social media and at the meeting on Sunday night, creating change starts with discussion from students. But in order for it to move beyond a trending topic, it must be followed by action. Even among friends, students need to make it unacceptable to use the language that Strong used in the video. Her words were recorded, but she is not the only student to ever speak that way, and she likely won’t be the last.

SU Athletics proved how it felt about Strong’s actions when it suspended her from the soccer team. And the university made it clear that there is no place for discrimination when it released a statement on the matter. Now, students must show that they will not tolerate racism and homophobia by coming together and working to eradicate it on campus.