Syracuse fraternity expelled over racist video as second clip emerges

Apr 23, 2018

As Syracuse University expelled a fraternity for spewing hateful racist taunts and making lewd homophobic jokes in a video, another video has surfaced showing members mocking an assault on a disabled person.

In the midst of the controversy that has rocked the Syracuse campus, Chancellor Kent Syverud called the latest Theta Tau video “appalling and disgusting” in a statement Sunday.

“I am deeply concerned about how the continuing exposure to hateful videos is causing further hurt and distress to members of our campus community,” he said.

—White fraternity pledge at Syracuse: ‘I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*****s’—

Syverud admitted that he was aware of the second offensive video and the school has been working to get a handle on the situation. He called the videos “extremely racist.”

The NY Post reports that the fraternity was suspended last Wednesday and has now has been expelled.

The latest video shows members of the fraternity engaged in acts that are “anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and hostile to people with disabilities.”

In the video, members are standing around while one man says to another who is kneeling and repeats after him:

“I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n——, s—-, and most importantly the fucking k—-,” referencing racial slurs for Black people, Latinos, and Jewish people respectively.

—New lynching memorial offers chance to remember, heal—

The Theta Tau chapter released a statement apologizing for the video, saying:

“Anyone of color or of any marginalized group who has seen this video has every right to be angry and upset with the despicable contents of that video.”

In response, Theta Tau members said they were roasting a conservative Republican fraternity member and that the video was satire. Syverud said the school is still investigating “to identify individuals involved and to take additional legal and disciplinary action.”

“The video itself isn’t the issue. It’s bigger than the video, bigger than this one frat — because, believe me, this is not an isolated incident at ‘cuse — and it’s honestly bigger than Syracuse University,” said Elen Pease, who graduated from SU in 2017.

“It totally is a national issue. It’s all related to these big private schools that profit from minority students but won’t take time to fully embrace and provide resources for those same students.”

—Omega Psi Phi fraternity brothers protest at Starbucks ‘My skin is not a crime’—