It happened again...

[Opie25]

UT frat suspended over incident
Complaints about blackface episode bring action

By J.J. Stambaugh, News-Sentinel staff writer
October 31, 2002

A University of Tennessee fraternity has been suspended because of an
incident last week in which white members painted their faces to look
like the black pop group The Jackson Five.

The national office of Kappa Sigma has suspended its UT chapter,
which means the fraternity "no longer has standing as a registered
student organization and is suspended from participating in
university activities, such as Homecoming," according to a statement
issued Wednesday by UT Vice President and Provost Loren Crabtree.

Fraternity members couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but
Crabtree said the national office was cooperating in an ongoing
investigation.

A number of black students complained to campus officials last week
after a group of fraternity members allegedly walked from their
fraternity house to a party on the Cumberland Avenue Strip dressed as
the Jackson siblings, according to UT's account.

Even if the national Kappa Sigma organization reinstates the UT
Lambda chapter, UT might not choose to recognize the group, according
to Crabtree.

"We will require the leaders and members of Kappa Sigma to
demonstrate a commitment to uphold our expectations for civility,
ethnic diversity and racial harmony," Crabtree said.

Crabtree indicated that individual students involved in the incident
might face university sanctions once the investigation is concluded.

Crabtree said the incident was "particularly distressing to the
members of the (UT) administration because all fraternities and
sororities participated in a workshop a year ago to address a similar
situation at another institution."

Crabtree also pointed out measures that UT has taken over the past
few months to widen the African and African-American Studies program
and a planned semester-long program beginning in January
to "celebrate Africa's cultural, entertainment and educational
contributions to non-African cultures around the world."

A training program on race and diversity will begin next spring, and
a special session covering the same topics will be added to the
summer orientation program for new students, Crabtree said.