PiKA Costume party - black face - bye-bye
 

(Sure it's offensive to some, but being offensive is not illegal. I hope the chapter gets a decent lawyer. Even the complainer doesn't want charges filed.)


Students disown blackface at GSU

By ETAN HOROWITZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/04/04
Hundreds of students gathered at a Georgia State University ballroom Thursday to speak out about a racial incident at a fraternity party in January.
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School officials called the meeting after word spread around campus and students started posting fliers to protest the incident.
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During the weekend of Jan. 24, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity hosted an off-campus party with the theme "Straight Outta Compton," with guests encouraged to wear hip-hop clothing, said Rebecca Stout, the assistant vice president and dean of students.
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Two fraternity members showed up in blackface, and members of a historically black fraternity that was in attendance reported the incident to university officials the next week. The fraternity that reported the incident, Phi Beta Sigma, did not want to file charges against Pi Kappa Alpha or the students, so the university did, Stout said.
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The two students have been suspended from their fraternity, and the university has charged them with discriminatory harassment under the student code of conduct, Stout said. Discipline may range from diversity training to possible expulsion. The university also filed charges against the fraternity, and a hearing will be held in a few weeks.
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About a third of the student body at Georgia State is African-American. Organizers estimated that 700 students attended the forum Thursday. After it was over, some students hugged, while others cried and shook hands.
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"All students were able to express that racism will not and should be tolerated at Georgia State University," said Alvatina Upshaw, 22, a junior from Atlanta.

I would urge the campuses who are having these issues, and man doesn't it seem more and more are, to get Dave Stollman in there to do his "Buy In or Get Out" Program. They had him at NGLA and he uses this very thing in his program, and it's really effective.

Can you tell more about the program?
:) preciousjeni

I'm just a bit confused about this. Why did they invite the black fraternity is my question.

-Rudey

Maybe you didn't have to have a specific invite. Some schools still have open parties. Plus this was off campus.

"You've never been to Compton, you're never going to go to Compton, you're not from Compton. You're a white wussy from right here." - Butt-Head

This chapter has a history of racial incidents at GSU, one of which was the impetus behind a three-day sit in on campus. They were barred from campus for a term or two (I can't remember exactly) but they were allowed to return. Seeing that things haven't changed for the chapter, I hope the administration takes a closer look at their antics.

We had a chapter hold a pledge class slave auction, where the pledges put on black face. When word got out, we pulled the charter. It was a standards issue. That chapter had the right to do what they did, but they didn't have the right to associate our name with those actions.

how so? I've never heard of anything bad related to this chapter, and I know several of their alumni. All are very good guys and I am pretty sure that there are several african-american students in the chapter.

Nevertheless, the blackface incident is not good and the students should be punished. The fraternity itself should receive a punishment, but it sounds as if they are not going to have their recognition or anything removed. If that were the case, I'm sure the hearing, punishment, and media coverage would've already taken place.

Neither the students, nor the chapter should be punished by the school. This is a public institution, and those students were exercising free speech, no matter how offensive.

The fraternity, however, has the right to discipline its chapter. Whether, or not, Pi Kappa Alpha chooses to do so will reflect on that fraternity.

Kudos to the men of Phi Beta Sigma for not pressing charges and attempting to allow the fraternity to discipline itself...

http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/dstollman/index.htm

This may sound strange, but depending on what the theme was, ah say Jazz, who were some of the biggest known Jazz singers and Muscians in the World, Afro-Americans!

So some may have dressed and used Black-Face to emulate them so what is wrong with that??:confused:

I am not saying it was right or wrong, but, they have the right to do it according to the Constituion, Freedom of speach and expression! Just a legal point of view!

Stupid or non thinking may be the very case!

Hell, I went to a Party painted Green and My GF Painted Brown with a Bone in Her Hair!

Ah, The Jolley Green Giant and The Amazon from a song title!:p

Oh by the way for Politcal Correct Suers, the Amazon is not in Africa!:rolleyes:

So, now History must be changed whether is was right or wrong, it happened! Get over it, We are living in todays time!:rolleyes:

We as people try to learn by past mistakes, not for some so rightous asses to tell us how we should feel now, not Years ago!:(

I've been to Compton. I don't know. I just see a stupidity issue in a lot of these incidences. It's like hey you're ignorant already but why can't you be ignorant in private?

-Rudey

OK...
 

Since I'm a member of Pi kappa Alpha I'll jump in on this one. A couple of posters here have already made important points. Specifically: 1) a good lawyer can ensure that no individual or group is punished in any way for wearing blackface; and 2) the stupidity index had to be way up in the red zone when this was allowed to happen.
Any campus with high numbers of blacks, whites and other groups are inevitably going to have occasions where they bump up against each other culturally. Usually there's no evil intent, as I assume is the case here. The other side of the coin is that campuses with large numbers of different people are exciting, dynamic, fun and provide a great educational atmosphere.
Overt deliberate rascist provocation has no place in a decent society, but my guess is that this incident doesn't rise to that level. Blackface is not illegal, but it is especially stupid.
Russellwarshay has it right: our National will probably come in and review the membership; they'll try to weed out the idiots and explain the simple facts of life to the ones who stay. I hope that Georgia State handles this a lot better than Auburn did a couple years ago when the Betas and the Delta Sigs had the same problem.

you figure it's 2004, but i guess we still have a long way to go....