Posted on 03/05/2006 4:56:22 AM PST by jmq
Posted on Sat, Mar. 04, 2006
Fraternity suspended after racially insensitive party
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - A fraternity at Central Missouri State University has been suspended for hosting a "racially insensitive" party around Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A three-week university investigation found that the January event, called a "chicken and beer" party, at the Alpha Kappa Lambda's housing complex mocked the national King holiday, established to honor the slain civil rights leader.
According to an editorial in the CMSU student newspaper, the Muleskinner, participants were told to dress based on organizers' perceptions of how blacks dress. Partygoers arrived wearing doo-rags and baggy pants. They drank beer from 40-ounce bottles and ate fried chicken.
The fraternity's national headquarters suspended it on Thursday and was taking steps to cancel the chapter's charter, said Jeremy Slivinski, executive director of the national fraternity.
"We do find that the incident was racially insensitive," Slivinski said. "And the house is supposed to be alcohol-free. They violated a risk-management policy."
Suspension means that the fraternity will no longer be permitted to participate in campus events as a social organization and no longer has access to campus funds.
He said alumni of the CMSU chapter were "disappointed in the choices our men made and deeply sorry for any offense that might have been taken. We will not tolerate this kind of action by our undergraduates."
On Friday, university officials began moving students in the 31-member fraternity from their house into residence halls on campus. University officials were continuing an investigation and said there may be further disciplinary action against some students involved.
Walt Hicklin, interim vice president for student affairs, said the university promotes a "healthy multicultural environment."
University officials said that before the suspension, the fraternity had the right to apply for student activity funds but that no university money was used to pay for the party. Alpha Kappa Lambda has been on the CMSU campus for 50 years.
What a complete travesty. This is worse than driving an SUV through the student park. These insensitive louts should be drawn and quartered.
How in the world are we going to get these youngsters to do ANYTHING remarkable to defend the country if the most ninny-like pseudo-offenses like this are blown so far out of proportion?
The kids are INNOCENT.
Get a life! My gosh this is absolutely nothing. And if the black students dressed up like whites and made fun of them, then just laugh! I mean what kind of woosies are the next generation going to be?
I sure hope they keep drinking too, because they are going to need to be plastered most of the time to put up with the crappy PC world we are leaving them.
Ofcourse, no frat would be in trouble for mocking George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Only if kids mock the wrong PC "heros" of history is there hell to pay. It is like the communist party would react in China if the kids mocked Mao.
The antics of college kids are known to be absurd and mocking King, unless you are a racist, is an equal opportunity mock. In fact, it kind of shows that King has reached the status of an important person to the adults and is worth mocking to the kids.
On the other hand, it might have been a seriously racist event mocking a race of people rather than an important historical figure. We don't have enough information to jump to that conclusion.
I wasn't aware that blacks were the only people that ate fried chicken. And I've seen quite a few whites wearing "doo-rags" and baggy pants. I suppose if the party theme required suits and ties, they would have been suspended for mocking Minister Farrakhan's Army of Islam. You can't win when the PC Police knock on your door.
Last time I went to the local High School a lot of white boys were wearing their pants down around their butt crack and two pair of underwear, their hats were on backwards or sideways,and they had the ghetto walk down pretty pat. I didnt know they were disrespecting black kids , I thought they were trying to act like the black boys so they could get in the white girls pants.
"If they'd held a Homeschool Mom Party and everyone came in denim jumpers and minivans, would they have suspended the frat???"
LOL I have tried so hard to avoid that streotype. I drive an SUV and only own one denim jumper.
Warrensburg seemed like an OK place... I vaguely recall that the fraternaty houses were actually in a building known as the octagon... But as I said, I was really drunk.
Oh, and the clue we left? It was on a cassette tape, saying "USMC USMC Backwards!" over and over again. The problem was that we "kidnapped" the only guy who had a cassette player living at the house. And we left the clue in the locker of a bus station downtown. The clue to get the key was pretty obvious. So they all piled into cars and drove down to the old Greyhound bus station downtown, where they opened the locker and found a note telling them that they got the wrong key, and told them where to look for the "right" key, which was at the Continental Trailways station downtown! lol
Wow, those were fun days....
Mark
So, what is the problem?
The frat guys were "told" to "dress black", and they dressed the way they perceive blacks dressing.
The questions that should be asked are "What did the organizers mean by "perceptions of black dress?", and "How do the organizers perceive black's dress style as different from white dress style ?"
Short of other information, it would be good to hear a black members opinion.
As 2 white chicks they were ugly. Could not get a real brother to hit on them.
Good for them. Were this done as a skit on SNL everyone would think that it was a great show.
There is hope.
I think it is funny as hell,dress and act lick an idiot and people WILL make fun of you.
"The suspensions are in line, however, considering that alcohol wasn't allowed there"
Heaven forbid, alcohol at a frat party!!!!!! Thats one of those rules which is only enforced when the frat does something else the university doesn't approve of.
The party was obviously in poor taste. Perhaps they should jail these kids for a hate crime?
people need to lighten up and grow a sense of humor.
You are somewhat right... Most universities have a policy of warnings/probation/suspension from campus. If this frat already was on warning/probation for alcohol or other infractions, then yes, the suspension was in line. I just hope the rules are inforced for ALL of the fraternities and sorrorities on campus. And while the party might have been in bad taste - in a way it has a bit of ironic humor to it.
"The questions that should be asked are "What did the organizers mean by "perceptions of black dress?""
I don't know about where you live but here we have "Urban Fashion" stores. Clothes made specifically for blacks. One of the ads here locally proclaims "Faded Glory is a no-no!"
FUBU = For Us By Us.
AppleBottom = You figure that one out.
etc.
So, I take it that if I bought some clothes at one of these stores and wore them to school there, I would be in trouble. Weird.
ROTFLMAO!
DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION
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