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Thank GOD for our lawyers - WE HAVE RIGHTS TOO
Auburn fraternity reinstated under lawsuit settlement
The Associated Press
06-30-2002
AUBURN
A second white fraternity whose members dressed in racially offensive Halloween costumes has been reinstated at Auburn University as part of the settlement of its lawsuit against the school.
Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity's local chapter will be reinstated under the agreement, chapter president Matt Furin said.
Beta Theta Pi, which also had lost its university recognition in November, settled its $100 million lawsuit in May and also was reinstated.
Neither chapter received any financial payment from the university for settling the lawsuits.
Furin said the two Delta Sigma Phi members who wore KKK attire and blackface with a hangman's noose at last year's Halloween party won't be allowed back into the fraternity. Five others who were suspended from the chapter will be dealt with in the fall, he said.
"It is a relief to be done with this part of it," Furin told The Opelika-Auburn News.
He said members will educate themselves so the incident won't be repeated.
"We reached an agreement that both sides are comfortable with, and everything worked out in the best interest of everyone involved," Furin said, without disclosing details of the settlement.
The university's attorney, Lee Armstrong, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Furin said the fraternity will hold several diversity-related activities, although the specifics have not yet been decided.
"Diversity and respect are essential elements of the philosophy of Delta Sigma Phi," said Tim Ardillo, Delta Sigma Phi's deputy executive director. "We, as a national organization, are dedicated to fostering our long-standing relationship with Auburn University and its communities."
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