Following the release of a racist video involving its members, the Syracuse University chapter of Theta Tau fraternity has been suspended, and the fraternity has apologized.
"First and foremost, every single member of Theta Tau would like to apologize to everyone affected by the racist video that was recorded as a part of our new member process," the statement, which was released Thursday, said.
"Theta Tau is made up of a diverse group of engineering students from a variety of nationalities, beliefs, and backgrounds, and we strongly believe that racism has no place on a university campus. … 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."
Members were shown in the video hurling racial slurs and expressing hatred toward black people, Latinos, and Jewish people.
Kent Syverud, the school's chancellor, suspended the engineering fraternity on April 18 for the members' behavior. He described the video in an email to faculty and students on Wednesday as “anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and hostile to people with disabilities.”
Footage obtained by the university's student paper, The Daily Orange, was first posted in a secret Facebook group called "Tau of Theta Tau” by a user named David Yankowy III. School officials became aware of the video after a student forwarded it to the administration, New York Times reports.
Members were initiating another man into the fraternity, and one man can be seen in the video on his knees in a suggestive manner repeating a pledge with a slew of racist slurs.
“I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*ggers, sp*cs and most importantly the f*ckin’ k*kes,” the person on his knees repeated.
Since the days following the fraternity's suspension, Syverud said the video was turned over to the school's Department of Public Safety for possible disciplinary or legal action.
Students staged protests around campus on Wednesday in response to the video. There was also a three-hour discussion held where an estimated 400 people attended to vent frustrations regarding systemic racism and sexism at the university.
Theta Tau's national organization has launched an investigation into the incident, CBS News reports.
Theta Tau's the fourth fraternity suspended at Syracuse University during the 2017-2018 academic year. Sigma Alpha Mu was also suspended for extreme hazing.
