Two fraternities suspended for racially offensive costumes

[tinyterror]

Hello Sorors,

I just read this article and was totally disgusted by it, but not surprised. Wanted to get your thoughts.

Sisterly yours,
tt

Two fraternities suspended for racially offensive costumes
The Associated Press
11/6/01 12:58 AM


AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Two Auburn University fraternities were suspended Monday because members dressed up in Ku Klux Klan robes and blackface -- one with a noose around his neck -- during a Halloween party.

Delta Sigma Phi and Beta Theta Pi fraternities, both with mostly white members, are being investigated for violating Auburn's discrimination and harassment rules, said spokesman Jim Jackson.

The university began its investigation when professionally taken pictures from the party were put on the Internet over the weekend, officials said. PartyPics.com, a service that photographs social events, later pulled the photos from its Web site.

"These images are shocking and outrageous, and they are unacceptable," said Interim President William Walker. "On behalf of the faculty, staff and students I apologize deeply for the hurt that has been caused for so many by the insensitive acts of a few students."

The photographs show two students, one wearing a Klan robe and hood, pointing a gun toward a third student wearing blackface with a noose around his neck. The three stood in front of a Confederate Battle Flag.

In another photo, fraternity members are wearing blackface, wigs and shirts with the letters of Omega Psi Phi, one of four predominantly black fraternities at Auburn.

None of the students have been publicly identified.

Delta Sigma Phi members apologized for the incidents Monday night before a group of black students of the Black Student Union. Beta Theta Pi has not made a public statement.

Telephone calls to both fraternity houses went unanswered Monday afternoon.

Fewer than 10 percent of Auburn's 22,000 students are black. Neither of the two fraternities have a black member.

Interfraternity Council President Todd LaCour said the two fraternities aren't representative of Auburn's Greek system.

"We neither encourage nor condone this behavior," he said. "And we're working to see that it doesn't happen again and that appropriate punishment is handed down."

Auburn University needs to thoroughly investigate and properly punish the fraternities, said Sanford Johnson, president of the Black Student Union.

"We want to see these groups and these individuals held accountable," he said. "So much racial progress has been made the last few years, and one incident like this could reverse all of that."

The national offices of the two fraternities were notified by the university. The fraternities won't be allowed to hold any social functions while they're suspended.

The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery has launched its own investigation.



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[DOVE1920]

I am very upset by this and I'm sure Omega Psi Phi will be taking some kind of action against this. I'm honestly at a lost for words. However, the Greek community at my school has a presidents roundtable where all greek orgs get together and discuss whats going on. I will bring this up!

[DeltAlum]

Unbelievable. Stupidity reigns.

[PrettyKitty]

I am disgusted!

[Six_Three_Sigma]

Hello Sorors (and other GC peeps),

Let me first say that when I first read the article, I was very disgusted that these people would even do such a thing in the name of fun. I cannot possibly see how dressing up as Ku Klux Klansman (and painting FUBU on yourself), going blackface (with the audacity to put on the nalia from one of the "Divine Nine"), and simulating a lynching could at all be fun. Frankly it's very sick not mention very dangerous for all parties involved.

Now on to the pictures that I looked at associated with the event. (http://www.tolerance.org/news/feature/auburn/index.html)

When i saw the pictures, I was even more disgusted and sadened (I hope I spelled this correctly). There for everyone to see were these a*$holes playing themselves. One of the most troubling (but not surprising) aspects of this is the fact that these people felt comfortable enough to take pictures (as evidenced by the posing) with other folk at this Halloween Party. Basically, they just chillin.

Now, I am not an inconsiderate person or anything like that, but I wonder how funny it would be if me and the peeps decided to roll up into a party of one of these organizations in a pilot's uniform (or maybe a airport uniform of some sort) and something indicating that I was of Arab descent. If I did that, I bet that these same people (who probably feel like they are the most patriotic peole in the USA) would run up on us so fast and try to rip our throats out. They'd be mad about that. I could probably think of a lot more situations that they would not find funny, but I'll stop with that one.

In closing, I don't know what will happen to those folk down there, but I sincerely hope that the perpetrators are identified (which will not be hard to do) and dealt with in a manner appropriate for the offense. (Sadly, I suspect that, criminally, nothing major will happen to them.) I have a feeling that those "Divine Niners" that are in the area will be coming from far and wide to "make a little noise" at Auburn. (Although I don't advocate violence of any sort, I do support my peoples' right to "roll" for the cause.) This is definitely a cause.

These were just my thoughts on it.

Six_Three_Sigma

[ShalondaClark]

I feel sorry for the people at the school this happened at. I'm thankful for the bond that we have here at our school with the community service sororities and fraternites. I hope justice will be served.

Wendy
ZZZZ-Phi for life

[wannabez]

I just got of the website that had these pictures on it. I can't beleive the bull that i just saw. how can this be 2001 and these things still going on. I hope that something drastic happens to these fraternities to show others what not to do. but if some black people dressed up like the black panther party or something and acted like they were killing white peopl that would be a different story. i also hope that omega psi phi takes some kind of legal action for using their name, and how did they get thier shirts anyway? i hope that justice will be done.