US Constitution aside for a moment. What exactly did the students say that was considered racist. If they used a racial slur...or advocated violence against rioters? To what degree was their free speech considered unacceptable?
It’s their right to say it...offending someone does not take away that right.
Yes, they used a racist slur.
It was the same forbidden word that blacks use all the time without repercussions, and the same forbidden word that a democrat senator and former KKK member used on a cable news program without repercussions.