Each incident shared a catalyst: Someone considered black people going about their everyday lives to be suspicious or dangerous enough to call the police. On Facebook, Ms. Kanoute noted that the person who called the police did not approach her first.

“I am blown away at the fact that I cannot even sit down and eat lunch peacefully,” she wrote.

The employee who placed the call to the police was placed on leave pending an investigation, the college announced on Friday.

In a statement on Thursday, Kathleen McCartney, Smith’s president, apologized to Ms. Kanoute and said that “we continue to fall short even as we continue to make progress.”

“This painful incident reminds us of the ongoing legacy of racism and bias in which people of color are targeted while simply going about the business of their daily lives,” Ms. McCartney said. “It is a powerful reminder that building an inclusive, diverse and sustainable community is urgent and ongoing work.”

Amy Hunter, the college’s interim director of inclusion, diversity and equity, said that she had reached out to Ms. Kanoute and was investigating the incident along with human resources and the campus police.