University of Alabama Alpha Phi Expelled for Racist Video

[TLLK]

http://www.wbrc.com/story/37283973/u...ks-made-online

The University of Alabama and Alpha Phi International sorority are both responding after videos posted online by a student have drawn outrage.
UA President Stuart R. Bell confirms that student - Harley Barber - is no longer enrolled at the school.
In the videos initially posted to social media, Barber uses the N-word multiple times. She also references the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, says she is from New Jersey, and makes reference to people reporting her to her sorority because of her comments.

[thetalady]

Lost her sorority that she loved and had to leave the University... good. Disgusting behavior, but better to know how she really feels.

[carnation]

I am horrified by her apparent belief that she could come to the South and say all that.

[navane]

Unacceptable! This has got to stop! We can no longer just sit by and say "tsk tsk...that's a shame". We have to take action. Each of us. We need to raise our young people to have respect for all. I am interested in the comment that the video, "...makes reference to people reporting her to her sorority because of her comments..." So, it sounds like someone was at least trying to confront the issue.

I'm so lost on this. I grew up in a diverse city with diverse friends. I struggle to understand how people are raised to be this way.

[APhi2KD]

Don’t let the door hit you (in your “Neiman Marcus fur vest”) on the way out. You are no sister of mine.

[NYCMS]

Glad to see both the university and the sorority expel her. And boy did she just do major damage to any future job she might want - she's trouble in all caps. That video will haunt her for a long, long time.

Such is the age when everything can be put online...and stunning that young people don't realize the consequences of such.

[CaliAggie]

Originally Posted by navane

Unacceptable! This has got to stop! We can no longer just sit by and say "tsk tsk...that's a shame". We have to take action. Each of us. We need to raise our young people to have respect for all. I am interested in the comment that the video, "...makes reference to people reporting her to her sorority because of her comments..." So, it sounds like someone was at least trying to confront the issue.

I'm so lost on this. I grew up in a diverse city with diverse friends. I struggle to understand how people are raised to be this way.

Yes, it was confusing at first but I believe what happened was: the student initially posted a video (the one where she's standing in front of a bathroom sink) where she drops the n-word and says she hates N's, etc. Apparently, people see the video and it is reposted and shared on social media and eventually reported to Alpha Phi and the University of Alabama. Then, instead of apologizing, she doubles-down and posts a follow-up video (the one in the car with the other girls) calling those people out for reporting her and dropping the n-word even more. Sad.

What's also sad is that she posted those videos to her "finsta" (my kid had to explain it to me), a fake Instagram account where kids post "real" and often very distasteful things to a private group of their closest friends in confidence, possibly as a joke... but it all got leaked. Not that I'm trying to concoct excuses for her -- make no mistake, the things she said and did are absolutely reprehensible and disgusting. Just saying that there are a multiple lessons to be learned here. I actually talked to my kids about being mindful of what they put on social media, even if they think it's private, temporary, or for a trusted group of friends. Internet justice is tough and swift, and it never forgets.

Incidentally, there's also a third video of Harley Barber, a very revealing phone conversation between the student and a friend after the incident blew up and went viral... and even that got leaked.

I wonder if GLO's these days have social media training for its members, similar to what scholarship athletes go through when they join a team, as part of pledge or new member education programs.

[panhelrose]

I can only speak to my experience, but my chapter has extensive social media training both in the new member process and throughout each year for the whole chapter. I find this especially important given that social media evolves so quickly, and it's important to keep up with the nuances of each platform (although the common sense of "don't be a bigot, don't post inappropriate stuff online no matter how private you think your account is" should stand regardless of platform).

That being said, I've seen a post circulating of a subsequent "finsta" account that appears to be hers, stating that her first account had been shut down and the bio also includes this slur. Granted, this could be a fake account, but her apology does not seem totally genuine to me, given the nature of the second video. Additionally, it appears that the Alabama chapter of Alpha Phi has deleted its instagram page, presumably to deal with this issue internally. This girl's actions are reprehensible, and I'm glad the international organization and the university are responding with such force.

[thetalady]

Her parents must be SO proud. Unfortunately, she probably learned this racist behavior at home. This despicable attitude isn't new for her. And she is really sorry now....

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/in...zes_for_r.html

[clemsongirl]

Finstas are such a dumb concept anyways-when your friends all like your videos, Instagram can figure out who you are pretty quickly. Nothing you post on the internet is anonymous, no matter what you think.

[Kevin]

I'm really curious as to whether she talked like that around her sisters and if she did, how many of them didn't mind.

[DGTess]

I hope you've all read Fraternity Man's posting on this.

What if it hadn't been shared?

At what point would Alpha Phi (or any other group) or the local chapter realize a sister they had pledged and initiated was so clearly racist?

It's all well and good to have social-media training, and to teach women (and men) what not to share, but we seem to be ignoring what not to DO.

[Kevin]

It starts and ends with bystander intervention. Members have to feel empowered to say something when they see something wrong. Greek organizations are some of the worst when it comes to bystander intervention because we are as a rule so prone to groupthink type behaviors where no one will speak up because they are afraid to be found to be less a part of the group. One can only imagine how that dynamic is magnified in a place like Alabama where I'm sure new members who are lucky enough to find a home (and most of them know how lucky they are) are probably pretty determined to keep their heads down and not rock the boat until initiation.

[APhi2KD]

Originally Posted by DGTess

I hope you've all read Fraternity Man's posting on this.

I have and wholeheartedly disagree with the following:

It’s not her behavior we are disgusted with, it’s the audacity she demonstrated to be racist in a public forum.

That’s crap. I dont want my organization moving backward, regardless if anyone knows!

And...this same chapter came under fire for their recruitment video which was lacking diversity even for Ala-freakin-Bama. They are not alone. Many, many AΦ chapters have been obviously recruiting a certain look (and yes, I’m aware that many, many other GLOs also do), but this needs to be a wake up call to Nationals. The measure of a woman is not the length of her hair or her dress size. And certainly not the number of overpriced fur vests in her closet.

If you recruit girls based on their # of followers, etc., you ARE going to get your name out there, but it’s going to turn around and bite you. I’m tired of seeing chapters/members that flood Instagram with trashy Kardashian-esque posts. I know there are wonderful, quality women in each chapter. But the over-sharing girls of Bama, Boulder, Arizona State, etc. make me cringe. But hey, what do I know. It’s obviously selling to the masses.

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by CaliAggie

......... but it all got leaked. .....

Incidentally, there's also a third video of Harley Barber, a very revealing phone conversation between the student and a friend after the incident blew up and went viral... and even that got leaked.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bpNEetMNMs


.

And another one of her...mouth. Fun times.

The comments on:
APhi twitter
GR<--- fun

And found this
https://twitter.com/search?q=harley%...Video&src=tyah

Oye. The Internet is forever.