University of Oklahoma Fraternity Shut Down After Racist Chant

University of Oklahoma’s President is giving chapter members of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) exactly one day to get off the campus after a shocking video of the fraternity brothers chorusing a racist chant surfaced on social media.

The video uploaded to Youtube Sunday reportedly shows a bus full of of well dressed white men and women on Saturday chanting in unison: “There will never be a ni**** in SAE. There will never be a ni**** in SAE. You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me. There will never be a ni**** in SAE.”

The video can be found here, but keep in mind it is extremely offensive.

According to KOKO Oklahoma City, President David Boren gave the fraternity brothers until midnight Monday to pack up their things and leave. In his statement he denounces the members saying:

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.

Updated statement attached – DBo pic.twitter.com/xxfiJwCh0P

— David Boren (@President_Boren) March 9, 2015

Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s national chapter was quick to shut down Oklahoma’s Kappa chapter after being informed of the video saying they were “disgusted 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.” They took to Twitter to offer this official statement:

While we correct our server issues, here’s our statement. pic.twitter.com/yOBqubcLFO

— Sigma Alpha Epsilon (@sae1856) March 9, 2015

The university is taking this situation seriously, announcing they will be launching a formal investigation into the video and will punish any students involved.

If the video is indeed of OU students, this behavior will not be tolerated and is contrary to all of our values. We are investigating. – DBo

— David Boren (@President_Boren) March 9, 2015

What’s probably most shocking about the video is the perfect unison in which the students are heard chanting. It doesn’t at all sound like this is the first time they’ve recited this chant and the lynching references could mean this tradition dates back awhile. However, Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s national chapter is denying any ties to the chant and seems to be just as disgusted with it as the rest of the nation. Like in many hazing or other Greek life scandals, this video may end up tarnishing the organization’s reputation as a whole.

The only positive thing that can be said about this video is the zero tolerance policy for racism shown by University of Oklahoma administrators. This video is just further proof that contrary to some people racism is still alive, and this nation has a lot more work to do before we see its extinction.

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Alexis Evans (@Lex_vans) is an Editorial Assistant at Law Street and a Buckeye State native new to Washington D.C. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in business from Ohio University. When she’s not taking Buzzfeed quizzes, she enjoys watching reality TV and cooking. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jeff Simms via Flickr]

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.