On Mar. 8, a video surfaced online of members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity at Oklahoma University singing a racist chant. The video was quickly taken down and the following day the Oklahoma University chapter of SAE was permanently shut down.
“Within an hour of learning about the video on Sunday, Mar. 8, we put the Oklahoma University chapter under temporary suspension, which was followed by a formal closure notice within several hours,” stated SAE’s media representative, Brandon Weghorst.
The video was shot aboard a bus where many of the fraternity brothers were dressed in formal attire, and only lasts about ten seconds.
Only two members are pictured singing on camera, but from the volume of the chant in the video, they weren’t alone. The chant has the same tune as “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, but with different lyrics.
They sing “There will never be a n***** at SAE, You can hang him from a tree, but he’ll never sign with me.”
Immediately after discovering the video’s existence, University President David Boren severed all ties with the SAE house and launched an investigation. He addressed the fraternity in his tweet on Mar. 8, “To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. You are disgraceful. You have violated all that we stand for.”
Boren has shown his support in achieving justice by also participating in campus wide protests, mostly led by the black student group at Oklahoma University, Unheard. Unheard originally posted the video on twitter Mar 8, exposing the fraternity, but refused to reveal their source.
After the university’s SAE chapter was permanently shut down, Boren gave the fraternity 48 hours to pack up and move out of their house on campus.
All the members on the bus were suspended by the University and the two students pictured in the video, Parker Rice and Levi Petit, were expelled later that week.
The house members suspended by the university were expelled from the SAE fraternity and their membership terminated permanently.
“The fraternity is dedicated to making sure that its members are model citizens and leaders as part of their membership experience, but also to understanding how SAE can improve its relationship with men and women of all ethnicities, heritages and nationalities,” said Weghorst.
Rice apologized immediately following the closing of the university chapter.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night. It was wrong and reckless.” said Rice to the New York Daily News.
Rice withdrew from the university the Monday following the leak.
According to NBC News, Pettit also spoke about the chant and publicly apologized for his involvement.
“The words I said in the chant were mean, hateful and racist. I will be deeply sorry and deeply ashamed of what I have done for the rest of my life,” he said.
This is not the only SAE fraternity house that has had trouble in the past with hazing, underage drinking and racism. SAE had nine deaths related to drinking, hazing or drug abuse in the last ten years, more than any other national fraternity.
One member of the Arizona State chapter left another underage member at a nearby hospital with a note saying: “I’ve been drinking and need some help.” He survived, but was found with a near lethal blood alcohol content of 0.47%.
In December 2014, yet another SAE chapter at Clemson University was suspended for hosting a “cripmas” party in reference to the Southern California African American “crips” gang. The chapter remains open but is suspended from “all activity indefinitely” according to the SAE national chapter.
In response to the increasing troubles SAE has had with diversity, the organization has created the position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion. This is just one part of a reform plan the national headquarters announced on Mar. 18 in Chicago.
“We intend to root out and eliminate this sort of reprehensible behavior from our organization,” said Blaine Ayers, the executive director of the National SAE fraternity, reported by the Washington Post. “Sigma Alpha Epsilon intends to be a leader among fraternities when it comes to ensuring our members are upholding our values, mission and creed.”