A recent incident at the University of Missouri Columbia led to a temporary suspension of the Delta Upilson Fraternity house after fraternity members and guests called black students racial slurs and vulgar names.
On September 27, two women members of Mizzou’s Legion of Black Collegians (LBC) were called the N-word and other derogatory terms by a group of six or seven white male and female students. More members of the LBC joined the two women, and police approached shortly after. As police tried to calm the situation, members of Delta Upilson began video recording the incident and yelling racial obscenities at LBC members, according to a statement LBC tweeted.
“Quite frankly, WE ARE TIRED OF THIS!” The group exclaimed in their statement. “Any student that selects to intentionally use any hate speech on campus that pushes the morals of ‘inclusivity’ and ‘diversity’ does not belong and their presences continues to foster the dichotomy amongst black and white students.”
Immediately following the release of LBC’s statement, Justin Kirk, Delta Upsilon International Fraternity executive director, placed the campuses fraternity under “emergency suspension” as the organization works with university officials to resolve the issue.
“Racism and sexism have no place in our fraternity, and we expect our members to be positive contributors to inclusive campus environments,” Kirk stated.
Last to make an announcement were the university’s officials, who announced that the campus has also temporarily suspended the organization. The university’s news bureau released a statement saying the fraternity has been cited for other violations – including alcohol – since the start of the semester.
Since the incident, the campus has held emergency town halls and members of the LBC have met with Mizzou officials and campus police to discuss solutions for the hate. One of the suspects was identified and questioned.
