University fo Okahoma-Sigma Alpha Epsilon-Racial Chant

[naraht]

Originally Posted by SAEalumnus

Pursuant to our Fraternity Laws, when a charter is revoked, all active members of the chapter are automatically suspended. For most, they are converted to alumni in good standing after they graduate. Those who directly caused the loss of the charter are frequently expelled.

In this case, the charter is already gone effective Sunday night, so all active members are now suspended. A panel of alumni will now be convened as a trial board to determine who should be expelled. In the meantime, as mentioned, the university has already expelled two students involved in the video. We can likely expect to hear more from both the national fraternity and the university as their respective investigations progress.

I can't even begin to express how livid the fraternity is nation-wide at the behavior of these manchildren. Their behavior is so diametrically opposed to what SAE represents as to make one wonder how those individuals were ever admitted to membership to begin with. To time this with our Founders Day was just an extra slap in the face.

I'd just like to say that this seems a superior method to the way in which my fraternity would handle a similar situation, and I both compliment Sigma Alpha Epsilon on the method that they use and *wish* that it wasn't necessary.

[cinder1965]

Originally Posted by amanda6035

FYI, I left a donation for Howard and got a email response to a comment I left from the organizer:

I am so happy to hear this! Good for Howard and his wife!

[ZetaPhi708.20]

Oh. Look who has issued an apology.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParkerRice?src=hash

Oh. See the nation not really give a damn about his "apology".

[DrPhil]

As long as white people understand the correlation between incidents such as this and race-ethnicity-culture themed events.

[Sen's Revenge]

Piece of shit.

[Xidelt]

That's not an apology. It's a bunch of excuses.

[DeltAlum]

I'm surprised that I don't see anyone claiming that the actions by President Boren are a violation of the two expelled students Constitutional right to free speech under The First Amendment to the US Constitution.

I think that's the case here, even though I agree with Boren and SAE Nationals actions. Entirely.

However, I learned many years ago that the Amendment only applies if government infringes on a person's rights. That would seem to be true of a state supported university wouldn't it?

It may be that this situation is so egregious that the chapter and individuals involved will be shamed enough to simply keep their mouths shut. That's the opinion of an attorney who has handled cases before for chapters. (He also applauds the decisions made by OU and SAE by the way) He asked to remain anonymous.

I hope that happens. I met President Boren at a picnic for National Merit Scholars when our son started at Oklahoma several years ago and was very impressed. I think his actions in this case were exactly right, and hope they stand up.

I will now go quietly back into Greek Chat hibernation for another few years.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum

[WhiteRose1912]

I don't know about the second student, but Parker Rice says he withdrew from the university.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

As long as white people understand the correlation between incidents such as this and race-ethnicity-culture themed events.

I wouldn't hold your breathe on that one.

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

I'm surprised that I don't see anyone claiming that the actions by President Boren are a violation of the two expelled students Constitutional right to free speech under The First Amendment to the US Constitution.

I think that's the case here, even though I agree with Boren and SAE Nationals actions. Entirely.

However, I learned many years ago that the Amendment only applies if government infringes on a person's rights. That would seem to be true of a state supported university wouldn't it?

It may be that this situation is so egregious that the chapter and individuals involved will be shamed enough to simply keep their mouths shut. That's the opinion of an attorney who has handled cases before for chapters. (He also applauds the decisions made by OU and SAE by the way) He asked to remain anonymous.

I hope that happens. I met President Boren at a picnic for National Merit Scholars when our son started at Oklahoma several years ago and was very impressed. I think his actions in this case were exactly right, and hope they stand up.

I will now go quietly back into Greek Chat hibernation for another few years.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum

Good to see you and I thought the same thing when I heard that these guys were expelled. I'll admit I didn't see the video and I don't care to but if it's as horrible as it sounds it's possible that minority students could feel threatened by these guys and therefore expelling them is more a student safety issue than a free speech issue.

[robinseggblue]

Originally Posted by WhiteRose1912

I don't know about the second student, but Parker Rice says he withdrew from the university.

Yes. Here are the "apologies" that were given:

Parker Rice:

I am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night. It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same. On Monday, I withdrew from the university, and sadly, at this moment our family is not able to be in our home because of threatening calls as well as frightening talk on social media.

I know everyone wants to know why or how this happened. I admit it likely was fueled by alcohol consumed at the house before the bus trip, but that’s not an excuse. Yes, the song was taught to us, but that too doesn’t work as an explanation. It’s more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn’t do. I didn’t say no, and I clearly dismissed an important value I learned at my beloved high school, Dallas Jesuit. We were taught to be ‘Men for Others.’ I failed in that regard, and in those moments, I also completely ignored the core values and ethics I learned from my parents and others.

At this point, all I can do is be thoughtful and prayerful about my next steps, but I am also concerned about the fraternity friends still on campus. Apparently, they are feeling unsafe and some have been harassed by others. Hopefully, the university will protect them.

For me, this is a devastating lesson and I am seeking guidance on how I can learn from this and make sure it never happens again. My goal for the long-term is to be a man who has the heart and the courage to reject racism wherever I see or experience it in the future.

Thank you for your consideration of my deepest apologies for what I did.

Yeah, mmhmm you joined in? You were leading the chant and can't even pretend to take responsibility for it. And the excuses? I can't.

Parents of Levi Pettit:

As parents of Levi, we love him and care for him deeply. He made a horrible mistake, and will live with the consequences forever. However, we also know the depth of our son’s character. He is a good boy, but what we saw in those videos is disgusting. While it may be difficult for those who only know Levi from the video to understand, we know his heart, and he is not a racist. We raised him to be loving and inclusive and we all remain surrounded by a diverse, close-knit group of friends.

We were as shocked and saddened by this news as anyone. Of course, we are sad for our son – but more importantly, we apologize to the community he has hurt. We would also like to apologize to the – entire African American community, University of Oklahoma student body and administration. Our family has the responsibility to apologize, and also to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Our words will only go so far – as a family, we commit to following our words with deeds.

To our friends and family, thank you for your kind comments and prayers. They are very comforting in this difficult time.

We ask that the media and public please respect our family’s privacy as we come together to heal and determine next steps.

Why are the parents of Levi Pettit speaking for him? At the least, he can't speak for himself?

I know the statements were written by PR folks tho. The young men are only sorry they got caught.

[SOM]

A Message From Phi Delta Theta General Council President Regarding The Events At The University of Oklahoma https://www.phideltatheta.org/2015/0...y-of-oklahoma/

[SOM]

SAE-KY DELTA ‏@EKU_sae 1h1 hour ago We are True Gentleman. #WhatILiveBy

A Commentary: SAE http://youtu.be/W1Cj7GdgFvg

[SWTXBelle]

It will be informative to see how this pans out - this came from one of my college teaching feeds:

http://academeblog.org/2015/03/11/wh...onstitutional/

"However, the standard of a “hostile educational environment” is a strong legal rule that simply is not met by chanting a racist song on a bus ride. Harassment law requires actions that are pervasive and substantial, and actually impact the learning environment of others. There are plenty of people who were rightly offended by this racist chant. But being offended by racism is not proof of harassment."

[Kevin]

Regarding any 1st Amendment issues, I don't think that's keeping Boren up at night. OU has a fine legal staff. I've litigated against them (won), but they do know their way around the federal courthouse and then some.

It could be an interesting legal case, but being expelled under those circumstances, I would argue that the school couldn't possibly guarantee the students' safety at that point. Also, some speech, i.e., speech that is reasonably calculated to result in a breach of the public peace, is not necessarily considered protected speech.... and since this speech actually did require the Norman PD to have to surround the SAE house to keep vandals and ne'er do wells away, I think that's a solid argument.

There are good arguments on both sides... and I don't think the school cares whether they have to pay a settlement. They just want to get rid of this.

[WhiteRose1912]

Originally Posted by robinseggblue

Yes. Here are the "apologies" that were given:

Regarding their fauxpologies:


I just wanted to point out that Parker withdrew on Monday, so the announcement on Tuesday that he was expelled means nothing. Levi would be the one to keep an eye on.