Two members of the executive of a major student association at Concordia University in Montreal have left the association after being accused of making graphic sexual remarks and racist comments towards a female colleague on Facebook.

​CBC is not identifying the association to protect the identities of the people involved.

Thursday night the council that oversees the association voted to dismiss its outgoing president and review all his work. He's one of the students who allegedly made the comments on Facebook.

The other, a vice-president of the association, resigned his position Wednesday, citing health reasons.

Facebook chat left open

The female student who complained was elected to the executive in 2013.

A comment posted on Facebook has a Prince Albert nurse facing charges of professional misconduct. (CBC) One day, while she was using a public computer in the public office of the association, she came across a Facebook conversation between two of her male colleagues open on the screen.

They named her and allegedly made repeated graphic sexual remarks and racist comments.

"I didn't know that people used the term, excuse me — chink slave — anymore. I didn't know that it's normal for two boys to refer to women as whores," she told CBC Montreal.

The student took photos of the screen so she'd have proof of the conversation.​

Complaint to administration

She said she complained to Concordia administration but was told nothing could be done because this was a private conversation.

After she went public April 1, Concordia's president, Alan Shepard, released a statement.

"I am deeply troubled by the reports I read online last night and we are looking into the circumstances of the university's response," read the statement.

"The social media landscape is still relatively new territory for universities and we are all finding our footing. We are grappling with ways to deal with unacceptable behaviour within this new reality. Questions of what is private and what is personal, as well as where universities have the power to intervene, must be addressed," the statement continued.

Shepard has launched an investigation into the way the university handled the situation.

The student has also filed a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission.

'Really, really hopeful'

The council that oversees the association also voted to issue a public apology for the scandal, and to introduce mandatory sensitivity training for all new members.

Rebecca Anderson, a student who's part of a group that's been trying to reform this association, said this is a step in the right direction.

"I've been part of other things in terms of addressing sexual assault at Concordia and I think that to finally get some sort of justice is really really hopeful," Anderson said.