A racist chant by fraternity members in Oklahoma has sparked dialogue in Colorado, where it’s being used as a learning experience.
Two University of Oklahoma students, members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, were expelled from the school, which also cut ties with the national fraternity after the video went public Sunday.
“How do we make sure our Greek members understand and reflect the values we all hold?” asked Carl Johnson, executive director of campus life at the University of Denver.
The president of DU’s chapter of SAE sought out school officials Monday seeking to distance the local chapter from what’s happened in Oklahoma.
Johnson said the student leader sought guidance on: “How can I communicate that’s not our behavior?
After the incident in Oklahoma, DU officials have been reaching out to all Greek leaders, planning to continue the conversation with broader audiences.
“This just happened. How do you feel about it,” Johnson said. “They can have an intelligent conversation about their feelings and how this is perceived.”
Marc Stine is the Greek Advocate at the University of Colorado, which has a chapter of SAE.
“Dumb, just plain dumb,” Stine said of the Oklahoma video.
“All our fraternities have minority students included among them, as well as others with assorted religious and ethnic backgrounds,” Stine said.
“And while it’s terrible that there’s a fraternity out there acting that way, we don’t think it would ever happen in Boulder.”
At Colorado State University, President Tony Frank sent a campuswide e-mail warning such an incident can happen anywhere and
stressing the need for individuals to push back against racist behavior.
“The time when any of us could stand on the sidelines and remain silent has long passed,” he wrote. “When you hear something that crosses the line, speak up.”
Full text of Colorado State University President Tony Frank’s letter regarding the racist Oklahoma fraternity video
Colleagues,
I find myself again wishing there was no need for me to write this email. But recent events at the University of Oklahoma remind me that wishes are not the same as actions. Colorado State University strongly supports the swift action taken by the University of Oklahoma to expel one of its fraternities for engaging in racist chants. The video that has surfaced of the incident signals an embedded culture of exclusion, bigotry and hate, and such a culture has no place in a community of higher learning, much less our society as a whole.
The emergence of this video has provoked strong reactions for many of us. It’s a reminder that the scourge of racism remains very much alive in the United States, even among young people born decades after the height of the civil rights movement. For many of us, it’s deeply disturbing that this type of behavior, rather than going away, has simply gone underground – people may watch their words in public but nevertheless are openly, even gleefully racist when out of the public eye. And for too many among us, this video is just one more in a numbing string of such incidents that, frankly, happen all the time, all over the country. This isn’t a fraternity issue. This isn’t a higher education issue. This is a societal issue.
So where does that leave us as a university community and as individuals? As a university, we can and do state forcefully that CSU is richer and stronger because of its diversity and inclusiveness, and respect for the dignity of all people is a core value of this institution. We can state that any such incident on our own campus will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. We can also reaffirm that while the First Amendment gives us certain rights to choose our own words, education gives us the obligation to choose them thoughtfully. Ultimately, we all bear the consequences for the language we choose and the way we choose to wield it.
As individuals, the most important thing we each can do – and this is as simple as it is obvious – is not to be racist. That’s really the bottom line. But I would also suggest that we – as members of a learning community – have a particular obligation to stand up and push back against such behavior. Whether racism, gender bias, ageism, really any of the “ism’s” that have stained our thinking throughout human history the time when any of us could stand on the sidelines and remain silent has long passed. When you hear something that crosses the line, speak up. If you’re not comfortable getting involved or believe there is a safety risk, use our Tell Someone website at http://safety.colostate.edu/tell-someone.aspx. Learning how and when to intervene in challenging situations is a responsibility we all share – and one we each must commit to uphold. Here at CSU, we pride ourselves on being a university that does things; we are not bystanders – we take action. And because this is CSU, we all have resources to learn these skills and the opportunity to build this expertise in a supportive environment. So let’s do it.
I wish we could promise that nothing like the OU incident will ever happen at CSU. I believe that our values and character as a community are strong and embraced by most of us. But these types of incidents – despite decades of struggle – continue to happen too often, and no place is immune. Still, we can commit to make a difference as individuals and as a community, and I ask that you join me in rising to that challenge.
-tony
Dr. Tony Frank
President
