Racist chants, hotel trashing, and naked photos of unconscious women. These things have become seemingly synonymous with college fraternities after a slew of scandals in recent weeks thrust Greek Life even further under the nation’s microscope.

First, the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter was caught on tape singing a racist chant referencing lynching. The scandal resulted in the chapter being shut down, and some of their members were even expelled.

Then news of the University of Michigan’s Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity racking up almost half a million dollars worth of damages at a northern Michigan ski resort in January surfaced. That’s one hell of a hotel party that would definitely put most rockers to shame. Their fraternity was also disbanded.

Michigan’s Sigma Alpha Mu frat has been permanently disbanded for ski resort rampage http://t.co/W0RmBkMyFI pic.twitter.com/Tv0E2efHwl

— David Nelson (@DavidNelsonNews) March 18, 2015

Now Penn State’s chapter of Kappa Delta Rho is following suit with its own form of debauchery. A secret “invite only” Facebook group was discovered that served as a hub for photos of naked and passed out women, hazing, and records of drug sales. Not good Penn State, not good.

Nude photo scandal rocks Penn State fraternity: http://t.co/3XVSdei1hI pic.twitter.com/yB79OldNFg — AOL.com (@AOL) March 17, 2015

The page had a total of 144 active members including current fraternity members and some alums. CNN reported,

The former frat member who tipped off police told authorities that a second Facebook page called ‘2.0’ allegedly had been created around April 2014 following complaints from a woman whose photo was posted on it, the affidavit said. The earlier version of the page was titled ‘Covert Business Transactions.’

The frat has been suspended for one year by the Penn State Interfraternity Council, while university officials continue to investigate the incident. Even with its suspension, some are still unhappy with the way Penn State is dealing with the scandal.

According to CNN, David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said in a statement the latest allegations call into question the university’s handling of sex crime reports. Clohessy said,

For years now, Penn State enthusiasts have repeatedly reassured everyone who’d listen that the university’s problematic culture about sex crimes had been reformed. The latest allegations — that a fraternity members posted nude pictures of women on Facebook, some of whom appeared to be sleeping or passed out — raise serious doubts about those claims

…The Kappa Delta Rho is a wake up call. But the Sandusky case should have been a wake up call too.

These scandals have Greek Life members nationwide worried what will be next. Organizations have even begun investigating their own chapters just to be safe. It is unfortunate to see the reputations of these organizations being tarnished by the actions of a few, especially when they were created to be pillars of leadership and philanthropy within the community. Instead fraternities are being referred to as offensive, discriminatory, and sexually abusive, or in other words, a PR consultant’s worst nightmare. Cleaning up this image won’t be easy, especially if more scandals continue to surface, but holding these boys responsible is a good first step.

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.

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From terrorism to racist fraternities, last week’s top news stories covered a variety of unsavory topics. The number one most popular post of the week came from Law Street Crime Editor Kevin Rizzo who shed light on the ISIS’ goals and motivations; the number two story of the week, from Alexis Evans, examined the University of Oklahoma shutting down fraternity SAE after it engaged in offensive racist chants caught on video; and the third most popular story of the week, also from Evans, brought us a look into Uber’s latest effort to win back women. ICYMI, check out the best of the week from Law Street.

#1 Understanding ISIS’ Radical Apocalyptic Vision

Nearly everyone knows what the Islamic State is doing–treacherous acts and the consolidation of control in territories throughout Iraq and Syria–but few realize exactly what the group’s goals are. ISIS is a unique manifestation of radical Islam that is bent on establishing a religious government that enforces what it believes is to be the purest form of Islam. Supporting that vision is its supporters’ closely held belief that ISIS is bringing about the apocalypse. Yes, deeply rooted in its ideology is the idea that establishing an “Islamic State” will eventually lead to a final battle between good and evil near the small town of Dabiq in northern Syria. Read full article here.

#2 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. Read full article here.

#3 Uber’s New Hiring Initiative: Trying to Win Back the Women

Crowd-sourced mobile taxi service Uber has developed a bit of a reputation for having a sexist “bro culture.” A new announcement this morning from the company reveals it’s trying to change that. Uber announced it will be partnering with UN Women “with the goal of accelerating economic opportunity for women.” As part of that commitment, it has pledged to create 1,000,000 jobs for women drivers by 2020. That sounds good, but is this sudden explosion of growth really proof that the company is becoming more female friendly? Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Earlier this week, video surfaced of members of the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity chanting an incredibly racist song on a bus ride to a party. The song involved heavy use of the n-word and  after the video went viral on Twitter, University of Oklahoma President David Boren responded by kicking the chapter off campus and expelling two of the students involved. Those two students are named Parker Rice and Levi Pettit, and they were expelled because of their role in leading the chant. Now the SAE chapter is making noise about filing some sort of lawsuit against either the University of Oklahoma, or possibly against Boren himself.

The reason that many are now speculating that a suit may be forthcoming is because the group of students representing the now-defunct fraternity have retained Stephen Jones. Jones is a pretty recognizable legal force in Oklahoma, perhaps best known for defending Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. While Jones has yet to file any sort of lawsuit, according to KOCO Oklahoma City:

Jones said the board of directors at the OU SAE chapter asked him to investigate certain legal matters that may impact the chapter as a result of the racist chant video. Jones said he has not yet been asked to initiate litigation against any person or party at this time.

There are multiple different legal issues that could be at play here–first and foremost are possible First Amendment Rights inherent in kicking someone out of school and disbanding a fraternity based on something that they said. The debate over the First Amendment is especially complicated given that the University of Oklahoma is a public institution, not a private one. The school accepts federal and state funds and, as a public university, it represents the public–namely the government. While the University of Oklahoma can certainly argue that it’s allowed to expel the students and kick them out for violating the code of conduct, First Amendment concerns may outweigh that. While Jones isn’t representing the expelled students specifically, rather the board representing the members of SAE, it’s possible that if the expelled students decide to file the lawsuit, he’ll be on the front lines.

In addition to the First Amendment concerns, there are also possible due process and 14th Amendment issues with the way in which the students were kicked off campus. There are also concerns that those former members of SAE were painted with too broad a brush, even if some of them weren’t the offenders who participated in the chant.

Overall, it seems like a legal battle is brewing in Oklahoma. What those men did was beyond inappropriate and despicable, and from a moral point of view I think Boren’s actions were not only incredibly warranted but absolutely necessary. However, he may soon have to defend those actions in court.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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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.

—

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.

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