An outside investigator is being hired by Smith College to review an incident from earlier this week when the police were called on a student who is black.
The woman says she was just sitting there reading and eating her lunch when she was approached by the campus guard.
The student was eating lunch in the common area on Tuesday when she was approached by an officer, who was summoned by a college employee who thought the student seemed out of place, according to college president Kathleen McCartney.
She said in a letter to students, staff and faculty that the incident is a painful reminder of the ongoing legacy of racism.
McCartney added that every college staff member will be required to go through anti-bias training.