'Spoiled' student who tried to sue her parents for child support comes under fire for 'racially insensitive' Cinco de Mayo post

  • Western New England University Rachel Canning student has come under fire for her Instagram post 
  • 'Dear Mr. Trump, glad you didn't build that wall JUST YET. Happy Mexican St. Paddy's from our honorary Amigos to yours,' she wrote
  • Underneath the caption she posted a picture of herself and her smiling teammates, one of whom was doing a keg stand
  • Fellow students branded it 'racist', 'ignorant' and 'disturbing' while others said it made them feel uncomfortable on their own campus 
  • The university confirmed they were investigating the posts and 'are addressing the matter with those involved'
  • Canning, of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, made headlines when she sued her parents for child support in 2014 claiming she had been 'abandoned'
  • Her parents argued she moved out of their house of her own accord after they disapproved of her boyfriend at the time
  • A judge rejected her lawsuit branding her 'spoiled' and disrespectful 

The 'spoiled' student who once tried to sue her own parents for child support has come under fire for her racially insensitive Cinco de Mayo post.

Rachel Canning – who made international headlines after she took her parents to court in 2014 to accuse them of abandoning her – posted a picture of herself and her grinning lacrosse teammates, one of whom was doing a keg stand, on Instagram on May 5.

'Dear Mr. Trump, glad you didn't build that wall JUST YET. Happy Mexican St. Paddy's from our honorary Amigos to yours,' the junior at Western New England University in Massachusetts, captioned the picture, along with an emoji of a man with a mustache.

Rachel Canning  posted a picture of herself and her grinning lacrosse teammates, one of whom was doing a keg stand, on Instagram on May 5, with the caption: 'Dear Mr. Trump, glad you didn't build that wall JUST YET. Happy Mexican St. Paddy's from our honorary Amigos to yours'

Rachel Canning  posted a picture of herself and her grinning lacrosse teammates, one of whom was doing a keg stand, on Instagram on May 5, with the caption: 'Dear Mr. Trump, glad you didn't build that wall JUST YET. Happy Mexican St. Paddy's from our honorary Amigos to yours'

Rachel Canning – who made international headlines after she took her parents to court to accuse them of abandoning her (pictured at a 2014 hearing) has come under fire for her racially insensitive Cinco de Mayo post

One of Canning's teammates then posted a similar picture, captioning it, 'Build that wall #wnelax.'

Both posts, which gained hundreds of 'likes' on Instagram, have sparked outrage on the campus with many branding them 'racist'. Many also reported it to the private university with calls for disciplinary actions against the pair.

Jordan Mieko, shared both posts on her Facebook page, with the caption: 'Problematic racist yt ppl @ my school.'

Her sentiments have been echoed by scores of other students who say they were 'disturbed' and 'saddened' by the post, which appears to welcome Trump's proposed wall, but not before the students were able to use the Mexican holiday as an excuse to party.

It also reduces Cinco de Mayo, which is not the Mexican day of independence but a celebration of victory in the 1862 Battle of Pueblo, to the 'Mexican St. Paddy's day.' 

One of Canning's teammates then posted a similar picture, captioning it, 'Build that wall #wnelax'

One of Canning's teammates then posted a similar picture, captioning it, 'Build that wall #wnelax'

Many also reported it to the private university (pictured) with calls for disciplinary actions against the pair

Many also reported it to the private university (pictured) with calls for disciplinary actions against the pair

'The ignorance in that photo. It honestly makes me so sad that people don't understand that this is wrong,' said Brian Grohe.

'Their statements say a lot about them, without knowing them personally. There really aren't any ways I can take 'Mexican St. Paddy's day' out of its intended context. It's racist af,' added Katherine Eason.

Nilsa Salas, who described herself as Hispanic, said the post had made her feel uncomfortable at her own campus.

'The fact that you are essentially asking for a race of people to be shut out of your country while using them as an excuse to do a keg stand is just ridiculous,' she said. 'But what seems worse to me is the sheer amount of likes these posts received and the fact that people are defending this. It's sickening and I have never felt worse about being part of this campus...'

However, some have stood up for Canning's right to free speech, saying that those who were offended were being too 'sensitive.' 

Barbara Moffat, Vice President for Marketing and External Affairs, told the DailyMail.com they were investigating the posts.

'As a multicultural campus, Western New England University cherishes its diversity and firmly believes that all members of the campus community should be treated with civility and respect at all times,' she said. 'The University is firmly committed to addressing all bias-based incidents, including behavior that creates an unwelcoming and hostile environment.

'The review process concerning the Instagram posts is underway, and we are addressing the matter with those involved.' 

Canning, a pharmaceutical business major, is featured as a student-athlete on WNE's women's lacrosse team's homepage, and her profile describes her as a multi-sport athlete who was also the captain of her high school cheerleading squad.

Canning, (pictured partying just weeks after she moved back in to the home of her parents she sued for abandoning her in 2014) made headlines after she filed a lawsuit against her parents, demanding they paid her child support in 2014

Canning, (pictured partying just weeks after she moved back in to the home of her parents she sued for abandoning her in 2014) made headlines after she filed a lawsuit against her parents, demanding they paid her child support in 2014

Her parents argued that Canning had moved out of the family home on her own violation after they disapproved of her boyfriend Lucas Kitzmiller (pictured with her)

Her parents argued that Canning had moved out of the family home on her own violation after they disapproved of her boyfriend Lucas Kitzmiller (pictured with her)

Her mother, Elizabeth Canning, told the New York Daily News that she had not been aware of her daughter's Instagram post.

Rachel Canning made headlines in 2014 after she moved out of her family's home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey - then sued them for child support.

The lawsuit accused her parents of abandoning their daughter and demanded they pay for her private school tuition, her university fees and her legal bills.

Canning made sensational claims that her mom calling her 'fat' and 'porky' led to her suffering bulimia and that her former police chief father dad used to get her drunk and kiss her inappropriately.

In shocking legal documents submitted to the court, the honor-roll student said her parents' behavior contributed to her developing an eating disorder at a young age and saw her weight plummet down to 92 pounds before, she claims, they threw her out.

Distraught: Her parents Elizabeth and Sean Canning, pictured in court in March 2014, eventually reconciled with their daughter and she moved back into their New Jersey home 

Distraught: Her parents Elizabeth and Sean Canning, pictured in court in March 2014, eventually reconciled with their daughter and she moved back into their New Jersey home 

Back home: Rachel's parents welcomed her back to their Lincoln Park, New Jersey home, pictured, even after the lawsuit and are now partially bank rolling her studies at Western New England University

Back home: Rachel's parents welcomed her back to their Lincoln Park, New Jersey home, pictured, even after the lawsuit and are now partially bank rolling her studies at Western New England University

Her parents denied the allegation and argued that their daughter had moved out of her own free will in a row about her boyfriend. Sean, a former police chief, and Elizabeth Canning, wanted her to stop seeing him, saying he was a 'poor influence' on her and that she was partying and drinking too much around him.

Following months of recriminations the case went to court and Judge Peter Bogaard made it immediately clear that he was not sympathetic to Rachel's arguments.

After reading an expletive-laden and vicious answerphone message left by Rachel Canning to Elizabeth, in which the girl said: 'I wanna s*** all over your face', he said: 'Have you ever in your experience seen such gross disrespect for a parent? I don't see it in my house.'

The judge added that Rachel had given her mom and dad: 'The proverbial f-you'. He also warned he must consider the 'slippery slope' where 'we open the gates for a 12-year-old to sue for an Xbox, a 13-year-old to sue for an iPhone… what about a 15-year-old asking for a 60 inch TV?'

Seemingly realizing she was fighting a losing battle Rachel agreed to move back into her parents' house the following week and dropped the lawsuit.

But she did get her parents to agree to part-fund her college education, the main reason for launching the lawsuit.

Rachel attends the Western New England University as a biomedical engineering major on a $56,000 scholarship. 

One year of tuition at the school for an undergraduate engineering student is $32,606, and room and board is an additional $12,700, according to the university website. 

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