School: Racist chant stems from national frat event
A racist chant caught on video being recited by University of Oklahoma fraternity members came from a leadership cruise the national fraternity organization held four years ago, according to the findings of an investigation the school released Friday.
In a letter accompanying the findings, university president David Boren wrote there was "no indication" the chant was part of the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization's formal teaching.
Boren also wrote that the chant was apparently "widely known" and "informally shared amongst members on the leadership cruise."
The school's investigation found that members of Oklahoma's SAE chapter learned the chant on the cruise and brought it back to the fraternity.
The chant became "formalized" within the fraternity over time and was eventually taught to pledges, the investigation found.
The school already has disbanded the SAE chapter and expelled two students who it said were leading the chant. In the video, students on a bus can be seen taking part in a chant that includes references to lynching and uses a racial slur to describe how the fraternity would never accept black members.
A lawyer for the SAE chapter said this week that an agreement had been reached in which no other members of the fraternity will be expelled. Attorney Stephen Jones also said the two students whom Boren expelled actually withdrew from the university first.
Following its investigation, the school said Friday that punishments ranged from permanent withdrawals to community service and mandatory cultural sensitivity training.