HAMDEN — A picture of a Quinnipiac University student with her face covered in some kind of dark mask material with the caption “Black Lives Matter” across it tore through social media Tuesday and prompted angry responses from African-American leaders.

It wasn’t clear who the student is and whether she was responsible for the posting. Some on social media said it was another person who took the picture and posted it with the caption, and others said the substance on the student’s face was a facial mask and not necessarily meant to depict blackface.

But regardless, the picture is hurtful and inappropriate, said Dori Dumas, the president of the New Haven chapter of the NAACP.

“It’s degrading and offensive,” she said, “and we need to make sure from the top level of the university on down that everyone is on the same page” in condemning the picture.

The NAACP was notified of the situation by a student who saw the photo on social media, state NAACP President Scott X. Esdaile said.

“She is really, really upset,” he said of the student who reported the picture. “She said this is not the only time” something like this has happened at the school, he said.

“It’s just disgusting. I think the university should have a zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” he said. “I think that in order for people to look at Quinnipiac seriously, they deal with this quickly and decisively.”

The university has taken action against the student, according to a release, but it did not specify what that action is or if the student was expelled.

“The university takes this matter very seriously and acted swiftly to discipline those responsible for the offensive photo,” the university said in a statement released Tuesday evening. “This incident does not reflect the true nature of our university, where we have a long history of zero tolerance for any acts of racism, hatred or bigotry.”

Dumas said, “This will not be tolerated and it is unacceptable.

“Every student needs to feel supported; every student needs to feel comfortable; every student needs to feel respected,” she said. “The African-American students do not feel that. They’re hurt, they’re feeling lost and they’re feeling like they’re tired and enough is enough, and we support that.”

The incident is similar to one that happened this month at Kansas State University, where two students posted on Snapchat a similar picture to the one posted this week by the Quinnipiac student. In the KSU incident, the students, who were expelled, denied any racist intent in the posting.

In a letter to students, faculty and staff, Quinnipiac University Executive Vice President Mark Thompson said the university is committed to providing students with an atmosphere of tolerance.

“I believe this is an opportunity for all of us to reaffirm our long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion and creating an environment that is supportive and respectful of all its members,” he wrote.

But it’s not the first time there have been problems like this at Quinnipiac, Dumas said.

“There were things on social media where there were postings that were racial, and they also had other ongoing issues,” she said, including someone writing the N-word on a door on campus. “Students reached out to the NAACP and the faculty and the community to say that they didn’t feel comfortable, they felt offended and they felt degraded and that their issues weren’t being heard and they weren’t being taken seriously. They felt they didn’t have a voice.”

The university, in conjunction with the NAACP, held forums with students to discuss the issues, Dumas said. “We really talked through it and tried to talk about how to improve sensitivity, being more diverse and other issues where they felt they didn’t have support or didn’t have a voice,” she said.

Over the years the NAACP has worked with the university, and there has been progress, she said, including the hiring of more minority professors and staff. But now it seems the problem is getting worse, she said.

She is hoping to meet with university officials on Wednesday to discuss what steps will be taken both in terms of punishment for the student and improvements to the atmosphere on campus, Dumas said.

“This has to be a priority. This is not a small matter,” she said. “The executive vice president told me that he met with students and heard their concerns. That’s a good first step but that’s not enough. The NAACP will be at the table and will be part of the discussion and be part of the steps and we will hold them accountable.”

“I absolutely do” think the girl should be expelled, she said. “I think that is the right message, the right tone. I think that shows that they take it seriously. That’s what I’m hopeful for and the students are hopeful. That sends the message that if you are not abiding by that, then you are not going to be a part of this campus.”

This story was edited to correct the spelling of Dori Dumas' name.