When I first saw the video of members of the University of Oklahoma (OU) chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) singing a racist song that encouraged the lynching of black people, I was not totally surprised. I went to school at Oklahoma State University, which has a large Greek system, so I have an idea of what goes on at fraternities. Non-Greek students think Greeks are racist and privileged. And like every stereotype, there is some truth to that. Most of the kids in the white Greek system (there are Black Greek organizations which are quite different) are people from wealthy families who live in a conservative state. OU President David Boren has been swift in taking action against the fraternity. The OU chapter has been shut down and two members have been expelled. The SAE national organization has permanently revoked the OU chapter’s membership and condemned their actions. In a statement released on its website, the SAE national office said they are an organization that is welcoming of men and women of all ethnicities. However, SAE has a questionable past. According to its website, at the start of the Civil War, there were about 400 members, with 369 fighting for the Confederates and seven for the Union. Think Progress reports the SAE chapter at Valdosta State University in Georgia was known for flying the confederate flag. There have been several news articles listing a disturbing pattern of racist behavior by SAE members at different universities, which includes reciting racist lyrics to black students, harassing a member who was dating a black girl and breaking into a Jewish fraternity, attacking the residents and shouting racial slurs. In 2011, George Desdunes, a young black man who tried to pledge with the SAE chapter at Cornell University, died during a hazing. He was bound and quizzed about the fraternity. Everytime he missed a question, he was forced to take a drink. The chapter was later shut down and four members pled guilty to a misdemeanor. This is not a random incident. According to a 2013 Bloomberg article, 60 SAE students have died in fraternity-related accidents since 2005. This is not just a problem with SAE, it’s also a problem with other Greek organizations. Greek organizations regularly land in hot water for theme parties, where they sometimes dress up in offensive outfits. A SAE chapter thought it would be a great idea to throw a “Cripmass” party where people dressed up as gang bangers and drank 40 ounces. When I lived in Oklahoma, I knew an Iranian girl who joined a white sorority and was shocked when she was shunned by the other members. An OSU white fraternity also got in trouble when they threw a costume party and decided to dress up as klansmen and pretend to “lynch” another member who was in black face. While some people might argue these Greek organizations have their positive sides, networking, companionship and service work, I question why anyone would want to be part of an organization that seems to be hostile towards people of color. “SAE can turn around it’s image through concerted effort. They need to start putting out positive stories about their volunteer work and work with civil rights groups to prove they are not racist. This is going to take serious effort, not just a few photo ops with Jesse Jackson and a donation to the NAACP. I’m not sure the national organization is serious about fixing it’s image pr pro. These problems have been occurring for the last 20 years and continue to happen. Evidently the people in these organizations must get the impression that offensive views are tolerated.
I’m surprised incidents like this, where people are caught in embarrassing situations through video and photos, continue to happen. Aren’t people aware almost everything you do and say is captured by cameras? And what made the SAE OU chapter think it was okay to make those statements? The students have apologized for their behavior and insist they’re not racists. I think they have been taught a powerful lesson about racial tolerance and the power of social media. A simple slip up can go around the world in a matter of seconds and insensitive comments can cost you your career.
