Leaders of Latinx, historically black and Asian-interest Greek organizations want to use their platforms to cultivate diversity and inclusion at Syracuse University.

Theta Tau was suspended on Wednesday morning after videos circulated showing students in the fraternity’s house engaging in behavior that was “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities,” SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a campus-wide email Wednesday. The university expelled the fraternity on Saturday afternoon.

In one of the videos, obtained by The Daily Orange, a person forces another person to his knees and asks him to repeat an “oath” that includes a racial slur.

“I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*ggers, sp*cs and most importantly the f*ckin’ k*kes,” the person on his knees repeats.

Senior Andrew Fowler, president of the university’s National Panhellenic Council — a collaboration of historically black fraternities — and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, said he felt hurt that the people who made the video are in his community. As a senior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, he said it’s especially difficult because members of Theta Tau are in his classes.

“Seeing that, how comfortable everybody in that video was with those words being said, and that laughter, just shows how that type of behavior is just truly a culture,” Fowler said. “It just goes to show that, you know, this stuff does happen on the regular, but it’s just not put in the public light.”

Alpha Phi Alpha president Brandyn Munford said that as a fellow engineering student, the issue is personal. Munford added he would have considered some members of Theta Tau his friends. But the fact that incidents like this happen is unsurprising to him.

Brandyn Munford is president of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first black intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity.
Kai Nguyen | Photo Editor

Rachel Mitchell, president of a Latinx sorority called Lambda Theta Alpha, added she was disappointed in the discriminatory actions displayed in the Theta Tau videos.

“I think it was very important to release the video because it verified the validity of the claims, but I also don’t think it changed anything,” Mitchell said. “We already know that those mentalities exist and those things are being said all the time, so we didn’t really need that video as proof that racism exists, that ableism exists, that homophobia exists on this campus.”

Theta Tau released a statement in response to the video’s release late Thursday night or early Friday morning, explaining that the words and actions in the video were a “satirical skit” roasting some of the older brothers.

“We would like to believe that the new members seen in the video laughing at the horrible things being said were not laughing in concurrence with these beliefs, but in fact the opposite — that racism, sexism and homophobia are so wrong that they are laughable,” the statement said. “None of the satire was said or done in malice.”

All the leaders of the multicultural fraternities and sororities said the statement did not change their opinions. The video was still unacceptable, they said. Mitchell said the statement made the issue worse, because people in the video laughed at what the fraternity called a “satirical” skit.

Eduardo Gomez, president of Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latin-based fraternity, added he didn’t want the issue to be about what Theta Tau has to say.

“This issue is much bigger that that,” Gomez said. “There are other frats that are worse. Theta Tau was the first to get caught on video and blasted … throughout the nation.”

“As minorities, we are expected to lose. But we are built to win,” said sophomore Eduardo Gomez.

— Catherine Leffert (@ccleffert) April 18, 2018

Gomez and other students said they suspected behavior such as Theta Tau’s were already occurring. Members of non-social or professional fraternities also said they often experience racism on SU’s campus.

But Gomez added that he thought the campus community could react positively to the Theta Tau incident.

“I was actually pretty relieved (when the video was released), just because I felt like this was an opportunity to bring this issue to light, because I feel like it’s hidden,” Gomez said. “But like now this video has forced people to speak about it and just bring action to it.”

Several of the members said there is a strong history of racism at SU. Munford added he experiences passive aggressiveness and microaggressions in classes. Munford, Gomez, Mitchell and Richard Yang, president of Lambda Phi Epsilon, also said they hear derogatory terms on campus.

Many of the fraternity leaders added they were disappointed in the way the university handled the incident. At a student-led public forum in Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday night, students shouted, “Where you at, Kent?!” intermittently throughout the four-hour event.

The chancellor did not attend the discussion.

Mitchell said she thinks the school tries to avoid and suppress problems instead of dealing with them. She said Syverud’s original email announcing the fraternity’s suspension seemed to say that while the school doesn’t condone what’s in the video, it intends to move on from the issue.

Rachel Mitchell is president of the Latinx sorority Lambda Theta Alpha.
Hieu Nguyen | Asst. Photo Editor

Richard Yang, president of Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian-interest, but not Asian-exclusive fraternity, agreed that the administration should be doing more to investigate the situation.

Theta Tau is the fourth fraternity on campus to be suspended during the 2017-18 academic year. Delta Tau Delta was kicked off campus in October for hazing, Alpha Epsilon Pi was suspended in February and Sigma Alpha Mu was suspended in April. All the suspended fraternities, except for Theta Tau, were part of Interfraternity Council.

Theta Tau was permanently banned on Saturday.

Fowler said as president of SU’s National Panhellenic Council, which includes Alpha Phi Alpha, the video could paint all of Greek life in a bad light.

Yang added that the purpose of Greek life should be to create safe spaces and cultivate inclusion and diversity. He said fraternities and sororities can be positive and help people meet others.

Richard Yang is president of Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian-interest fraternity.
Hieu Nguyen | Asst. Photo Editor

All members of the multicultural fraternities and sororities said they want to use their organizations to raise awareness of the racism and discrimination highlighted in the videos. Each of them mentioned that the university should be united against this kind of behavior.

“We’re just going to continue raising awareness of this issue and letting it be known that it is not OK to disrespect people and make them feel belittled and less than,” Gomez said. “Because everyone fought to be here and have the same opportunities as everyone on this campus, and they should be treated with the same respect.”

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Published on April 21, 2018 at 9:48 pm

Contact Catherine: ccleffer@syr.edu | @ccleffert