In an era where Nazis are marching on Charlottesville, a story of what’s happening on Syracuse University’s campus arrives in a similar vein. A fraternity has been suspended over what Chancellor Kent Syverud is calling an “extremely racist” initiation video. Theta Tau, an engineering fraternity, is under investigation after private Facebook videos were discovered featuring fraternity members using racial slurs. The school will soon determine what legal and disciplinary actions will be taken against the fraternity and its members. Via NBC News:
The videos, Syverud said, includes “words and behaviors that are extremely racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities. I am appalled and shaken by this and deeply concerned for all members of our community.”
Earlier Wednesday, Syracuse students demonstrated in front of the chancellor’s building and the Theta Tau fraternity to demand the release of the videos after they were removed from Facebook. Later, The Daily Orange, an independently run school newspaper, shared a copy of a six-minute video from an initiation ceremony.
According to the most incendiary of the videos, which has not been verified yet by NBC, fraternity members pledged, “I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart” before referring to several different groups with derogatory terms. This pledge was highlighted by the university’s Daily Orange paper, shown below.
Thursday's front page: "I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart" pic.twitter.com/Az1ZCThih3
— The Daily Orange (@dailyorange) April 19, 2018
Students are now calling on Syracuse to release the videos publicly.
Theta Tau is the fourth fraternity to be suspended by Syracuse this academic year. The most previous such incident involved hazing.
(Via NBC News & Daily Orange)