OKLAHOMA CITY — The fraternity connected to a racist chant that surfaced at the University of Oklahoma last spring says members at five other chapters acknowledged hearing the chant over the last five years.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon spokesman Brandon Weghorst said Friday that the Evanston, Illinois-based fraternity would not release the names of the other chapters.
But he says none of the members who responded say they heard it more recently than 2012, except for the incident at OU.
In a statement, the fraternity says education on diversity and inclusion were provided to members at the five other chapters.
Two students at OU were expelled last spring after members were recorded taking part in a chant that referenced lynching and used a racial slur to describe how black students would never become members.
In the video, you can hear the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity cheering “there will never be a nig*** in SAE.”
The chant goes on to say, “you can hang them from a tree, but they’ll never sign with me.”
According to KFOR, OU President David Boren said the investigation revealed that the chant was taught to members of the fraternity on a national leadership cruise sponsored by the national organization of Sigma Alpha Epsilon four years before the video surfaced.
The chant reportedly was then brought back to the university and has been taught to pledges as part of the formal and informal pledging process.
The national organization denied it had ever taught the song at a leadership retreat.
Warning: Video contains graphic language.
