A fraternity chapter at the University of Mississippi was indefinitely suspended Friday by its national organization and three of its freshman members were kicked out because of their suspected involvement in hanging a noose on a statue of James Meredith, the first black student to enroll in the then all-white college.
In a statement, Sigma Phi Epsilon said it suspended the Alpha Chapter at the university and the chapter voted to expel all three men and turn over their identities to investigators.
Police on Sunday found a noose tied around the neck of the statue, along with an old Georgia flag with a Confederate battle emblem in its design, which has since been updated to exclude the emblem.
When Meredith tried to enter Ole Miss in fall 1962, Mississippi's governor tried to stop him. That led to violence on the Oxford campus.
U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy sent 500 U.S. marshals to take control and days later, Meredith was allowed in the school. Though he faced harassment, he graduated with a degree in political science.
The FBI said Friday it planned to expand the vandalism investigation for potential violations of federal law.
"It is embarrassing that these men had previously identified with our fraternity," said Brian C. Warren Jr., CEO of Sigma Phi Epsilon. "SigEp as a national fraternity has championed racial equality and issues on diversity since 1959 when it became the first national fraternity to invite members of all races, creeds and religions to join its membership."
Warren said the fraternity will conduct a review to ensure that members' values align with those espoused by the organization. "We won't allow the actions of a few men to undermine the more than five decades of leadership this fraternity has demonstrated in the fight for racial equality and diversity on our college campuses," he said.
The university tried Friday to question three white students in connection with the vandalism but their attorneys would not allow that to happen without arrest warrants. The three have not been identified.
University spokesman Danny Blanton said Friday the school's findings have been turned over to the district attorney's office. Blanton said the university will also proceed with internal disciplinary action through a judicial panel that consists of both faculty and students. The university is satisfied that the three students under investigation are responsible for the statue's desecration, Blanton said.
The Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering at $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. University Police Department Chief Calvin Sellers said the reward offer gave police some good leads in the case. Blanton said it's not yet clear who might share in the reward.
District Attorney Ben Creekmore did not immediately respond to a message left Friday by The Associated Press. However, he told WMC-TV in Memphis that criminal charges would be difficult. Creekmore said investigators and prosecutors have looked into several misdemeanors, but he said criminal charges were unlikely by his office because the statue was not physically damaged, and the suspects did not appear to be trespassing. He said federal investigators could opt to bring charges if they saw fit. Creekmore said if new information comes to light, his office could revisit the issue.
Blanton said it's up to state and federal authorities to press criminal charges, but "obviously, since we've seen who is responsible, we want to take swift and decisive action. "What we want to do is to show this type action can't take place on this campus. We want to demonstrate that we will not tolerate this type behavior," he said.
Ole Miss will move forward "as soon as possible" with discipline through the university's student judicial process. That panel, which consists of both faculty and students, could choose sanctions including dismissal and barring the three from campus, Blanton said.
The fact that the students won't talk to administrators is disappointing, he added.
"We certainly wish they would be forthright and discuss this matter so that we can get to the bottom of it. We want to hear their side. We want to know not just what happened, but why they did it. We want to open a dialogue," he said.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
Comments
i agree with that too. It
i agree with that too. It wasn't acceptable, but yes if there were different races it would have ended a "better" way.
"Harmless" Prank...I think not.
It states that this particular fraternity seems to holds high values by stating, “We won’t allow the actions of a few men to undermine the more than five decades of leadership this fraternity has demonstrated in the fight for racial equality and diversity on our college campuses”. If such fraternity and its members were to abide by high standards, why would members stoop so low to this level? It is saddening to think that a collegiate school that has taken so many strides to become a more diverse society has to take several steps backwards and examine their masses. The act of placing a noose and the Georgia flag with the confederate battle emblem around the neck of James Meredith, the Civil Rights statue that holds a certain level of pride and history, was a clear strike against race and the Black population. I feel that not only should they of been suspended they should also be kicked out of the school entirely. I also think that they should be charged, not only was this a hate crime, but it is also hazing and should not be considered a “harmless fraternity prank”.
That is such a horrible and
That is such a horrible and disgraceful thing those students have done. That statue is a symbol of the struggle it took to move forward in this country. I think the fraternity and the university are handling the matter very well. The fraternity didn't want that kind of behavior representing them especially being that that behavior is the opposite of what they stand for. I believe that in some way the students need to be held responsible for their actions, and part of that should be that they are no longer part of that university.
I agree
You are right this is just disgraceful. This is just another example of why people of all races need to open their eyes and see that racism is alive and well. I also believe that the students should be held responsible even more than they already have been and especially kicked out of the institution.
It is a good thing that the
It is a good thing that the university was able to identify the three students who sent such a negative message, whether they intended to or not, by hanging the noose and Confederate flag on the statue. I think that because these three men were a part of a fraternity that there is an automatic association with possible hazing, but I don't know if a fraternity that has worked so hard for racial equality would pull such a prank. Of course, putting a bunch of college guys together can lead to some questionable actions. Even if this was a rite of passage or due to hazing, I bet the students knew exactly (we don't know if some sort of drugs or alcohol were involved) what they were doing and what kind of message they would be sending. It is not acceptable and it also relates to the other discussion topic this week about how the Confederate flag is a negative symbol, whether the south sees it as one or not.
What is frustrating to think
What is frustrating to think about in situations like this is the reasoning behind a person's actions. It is common knowledge that a noose is a very offensive symbol. What makes a racial situation like this frustration is a person's lack of education. People in today's society are so uneducated when in come to race/ racism and then act foolishly because of that ignorance. What this school needs to do is teach their campus why the actions of those three students is unacceptable and why it will not be tolerated.
Education at it's finest
I believe that the university did the correct thing in this case. They proved that these types’ offensive acts will not be tolerated. Even if this was a hazing, it was taken too far. Nooses and confederate flags are a negative part of the United States history. Not only have these students sent yet another message that it is okay to act like children and spread their racist views but, they have also shown how uneducated and ignorant today’s generation can be.
I don't think anyone would
I don't think anyone would argue that it was a great thing that this student did. This is am act that should result in punishment, not only for tampering with school property, but also for the social implications involved in the vandalism. Whether or not the student knew that this was a civil rights statue, he has the responsibility for the implications of his actions. The equal rights of all people is ingrained in the ideals of the United States, and while it has not always been practiced (in fact, completely ignored at times), it is important that these types of actions are met with little to no tolerance. Clearly, with the confederate flag, the students knew what they were implying. It is sickening to me really...
i totally agree with you.
i totally agree with you. whether they knew that it was against civil rights, he has to know the implications his actions would face and that they were wrong. a noose makes people think of the many lynching that blacks had to face in that time period; not only was that symbolism wrong but just disgusting.
racism and prejudice is no
racism and prejudice is no joke. if these boys really are the culprits then i think their expulsion is an appropriate punishment. i do not think the fraternity in itself should be if they didnt take part in the act itself however. if they did then yes i agree. that statue is a memorial of a monumental moment for that school and student it should not have been defiled in the way that it was.
I also think that it is the
I also think that it is the wise decision to suspend them but not to expel them out from school until the time they have been found guilty. And the investigation should be made on why they did that if it is true so that to discover if there is any racial reason towards them doing that, and the permit should be made also if they have been found guilty.
Tying a noose on the statue
Tying a noose on the statue of the first black American student in that university, only leads us to one conclusion and that is, the fact that this was a racial gesture. Although the noose is also associated with crimes like robberies and murder back in the old days, it is more recognized for its degrading nature over the black American folks in the past years of slavery. Only matter to be investigated by the authorities is the question of whether the students were acting under the influence of their leaders as a fraternity initiation or prank or not ?
i agree with you. the noose
i agree with you. the noose was associated with blacks because that is one way they killed them. they lynched them or drug them by a noose. there is no question that this was a racist act, because if it wasnt a racist act then they would have put it on something or someone else, not a former black student. the only question now is whether or not they are guilty and who put them up to it.
racism and prejudice is no
racism and prejudice is no joke. if these boys really are the culprits then i think their expulsion is an appropriate punishment. i do not think the fraternity in itself should be if they didnt take part in the act itself however. if they did then yes i agree. that statue is a memorial of a monumental moment for that school and student it should not have been defiled in the way that it was.
The punishment agreement
I agree with you in the fact that these boys should be punished and it should not reflect the fraternity. This comes back to the situation that explains because of one persons action, the whole should not suffer. I believe the fraternity should have tried more to prevent it, or perhaps take a bigger action toward punishing the few involved.
exactly, if the the
exactly, if the the fraternity played a part directly in the act then i agree they should be punished. for instance, if it is a part of the initiation process then yes they did wrong and should be held accountable for it. but if they didnt then i dont think they should. i dont think that if one person is guilty then the whole group is just because that one person is apart of that group.
wow.
I cannot believe that in the 21st century things like this are still happening. I find it a huge problem that people think they can do something like this and get away with it. A lot more investigation needs to happen in order to find out why these men did this to the statue. Maybe they aren’t talking because it was an initiation into Sigma Phi Epsilon and if they talk they will not be accepted as a member. I wouldn’t put it pass the elite members of the group to have them do an initiation like this, even though they are claiming they had nothing to do with the whole situation. I think that if the men were to just tell the authorities their side of the story then we can get to the bottom of why they thought this was appropriate to do. No doubt something like this should in no ways be tolerated and I am glad that they were suspended, but maybe they should have actually been expelled from the college. Not only should they receive punishment they should have to write an apology for what they have done. This is absolutely showing racial discrimination in an almost violent matter and should not be taken lightly.
i agree that proper
i agree that proper punishment should be put in place. and that further investigation should be done in order to see if that the fraternity was actually apart of it and if they did have something to do with it then the same punishment be dealt to those in charge as those who actually did the act. the leaders are the ones in control the pledging system, so they would have to be the one to tell them to do the prank in the first place. fair is fair when it comes to that, they had a hand in it. discrimination and racism isnt something to play with, so this should be dealt with accordingly.
Subtle is the new overt
We confuse racism's current subtle undertones as a reduction in racist attitude in today's society. The noose represents the blatant and overt racism that once existed and the fact that it was tied around a statue of the first African-American student to attend this college is most certainly a symbolic and intentional statement dripping in racism. It is reminders like these that bring this issue to the forefront and makes it harder to continue to deny that racist mentalities still exist. We are saturated with it from our own personal perspective, how we are institutionalized and even how live within our culture. The college needs to take this seriously and investigate with the understanding that this is bigger than just a simple hazing prank of a fraternity.
Trying to Progress
I think the students should be suspended, not only for destruction of school property but also for their un ethical behavior. Whether or not it was a joke, this only puts a stop to the oppressed progression. I believe at a school with such a high rate of diversity, and also being the first to accept blacks, that we should accept nothing less than the progression of blacks at this school. With this act of selfishness they should be punished and understand what exactly their actions mean to the university.
I am also surprised that a
I am also surprised that a school with a history of racial progress had this type of incident. I agree that this requires punishment and the university seems to have a clear desire to take action against these students.
I agree with what the college
I agree with what the college did by suspending the fraternity and the three students. Even though this could have been an initiation prank it is still not okay and they should have known that. Nobody forces you to do something that you do not want to do, so they should not have done it and I feel like they should have known better. It does not matter if it was part of a hazing or initiation ritual they still should not have done it and they should not have put the Confederate flag there as well. All around it is a good thing that the university suspended the three boys and the frat.
I know that fraternities are
I know that fraternities are supposed to have the new members do things that are seen as "funny" but this should have never been counted as one of those things.
I wonder how these students
I wonder how these students could see doing this to a historical figure could be funny. I agree that there is no place for this type of action.
i realize that people are
i realize that people are said to do crazy things in order to get into these fraternities and sororities, but there is a line that can be crossed and this was definitely one of those times that the line was crossed. this was not okay, it was racist and prejudice and should not be taken lightly. those who took part should definitely be punished and the fraternity should maybe monitored in case they really did have something to do with it.
These students definitely
These students definitely deserve some form of punishment and expulsion. That action clearly has racial meaning and allowing this to go unpunished would further promote racism on this campus. I think it is unfortunate that they showed clear ties to a student fraternity who does not support these ideals; however, their actions cause me to questions how many students share similar thoughts. I think it is interesting that federal punishment is begin considered. This may highlight the severity of these actions.
exactly what i think; i mean
exactly what i think; i mean the fact that they did this in a fraternity that frowns upon racism and has been a major contributor in fighting against it, it kind of makes you wonder how many more students in that fraternity or school share the same ideology!
If the the federal punishment
If the the federal punishment that is being considered actually happens, hopefully it will open everyone's eyes a little more so they can realize that racism is not funny or tolerated.
Sad
It is hard to believe there are people out there who would do something like this. I think the students should be suspended and should be held responsible for their actions. This was definitely an act of racism by three students who were trying to make a statement towards a group of people. It saddens me to knowing that racism like this still exists.
Sad
It is hard to believe there are people out there who would do something like this. I think the students should be suspended and should be held responsible for their actions. This was definitely an act of racism by three students who were trying to make a statement towards a group of people. It saddens me to knowing that racism like this still exists.
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