OU leader unveils findings of probe
Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla.
Members of a University of Oklahoma fraternity apparently learned a racist chant that recently got their chapter disbanded during a national leadership cruise four years ago that was sponsored by the fraternity’s national administration, the university’s president said Friday.
President David Boren said the school interviewed more than 160 people during its investigation into members of its now-defunct Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter who were captured on video taking part in the chant, which included references to lynching, a racial slur and the promise that the fraternity would never accept a black member.
“That chant was learned and brought back to the local chapter,” Boren said at a news conference in which he disclosed the school investigation’s findings. “Over time, the chant was formalized by the local chapter and was taught to pledges as part of the formal and informal pledgeship process.”
A statement released Friday by the Evanston, Ill.-based national Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity said its own investigation is ongoing but confirmed the chant likely was shared during its annual six-day retreat. SAE’s Executive Director Blaine Ayers said in the statement he believes some members shared the chant during an informal “social gathering” outside of the normal slate of classes, seminars and other educational functions.
Boren said about 25 members of the school’s SAE chapter will face punishment ranging from two expulsions the school announced previously to mandatory community service and cultural-sensitivity training.