On Sunday night, members of a black student organization at the University of Oklahoma posted a video online that showed the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity of OU chanting racist statements. The organization, named Unheard, released the information on YouTube and kept the source of the video anonymous. Almost immediately, the university's president and the national chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon acted upon the situation.
The national fraternity's organization, one of the largest in the nation, closed the Oklahoma University chapter. All of the members in the chapter are suspended from the fraternity; the members involved in the video may face permanent removal from the fraternity.
"We apologize for the unacceptable and racist behavior of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way. Furthermore, we are embarrassed by this video and offer our empathy not only to anyone outside the organization who is offended but also to our brothers who come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities," wrote the national SAE organization in a statement.
In the video, members of the fraternity refer to African Americans by racial slurs and claim that they will never be allowed to join the SAE fraternity. There is a reference to lynching in the chant.
The university's President David Boren criticized the racist remarks of the SAE students. "To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. You are disgraceful," wrote Boren in a statement. "You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves 'Sooners.' Real Sooners are not racist. Real Sooners are not bigots. Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat all people with respect. Real Sooners love each other and take care of each other like family members."
Investigations are being conducted as to which students participated in the racist chants. It is confirmed that the students involved in the video are from the Oklahoma University chapter of the fraternity. Numerous students and faculty, including Boren, protested the video on Monday morning.
