Two members of the fraternity at Oklahoma were expelled Tuesday.
Nearly three months after Ohio University’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was suspended from campus, the organization has been banned from another institution — this time at the University of Oklahoma.
SAE’s national headquarters closed its University of Oklahoma chapter Monday and suspended all members from the organization after a video surfaced of fraternity members chanting, “there will never be a ni--er in SAE.”
The University of Oklahoma’s president, David Boren, expelled two of the SAE members Tuesday, and said the fraternity was permanently banned from the university.
“I hope that the entire nation will join us in having zero tolerance for such racism when it raises its ugly head in other situations across our country,” Boren said in a news release.
The fraternity’s national chapter suspended Ohio University’s Ohio Gamma Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter in December, according to a previous Post report.
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The suspension was the result of members failing to pass or refusing to partake in a membership review, which included interviews, an evaluation of members’ grades and a hair-follicle drug test.
A former member of Ohio’s SAE chapter and the national organization said that the situation in Oklahoma does not reflect the fraternity’s morals and values.
Derek Daubenmire, former Ohio Gamma member, said the incident does not represent SAE fraternities across the nation.
“I was talking to my brothers about it (Monday) when the story started to become national,” he said. “We are very upset with the Oklahoma chapter because that does not represent what it means to be a true SAE.”
Daubenmire said he believes the chapter deserved to be banned.
“It's very disturbing to see that video, especially when our chapter here has a very diverse group of guys,” he said. “There is no excuse for what they did, and I hope they pay for it to the full extent.”
Student officials in Ohio’s greek life office declined to comment on the video.
SAE’s national fraternity responded to the video in a statement on its website, which stated the racist behavior won’t be tolerated and isn’t consistent with the fraternity’s morals and values.
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“We apologize for the unacceptable and racist behavior of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way,” according to the statement.
SAE has more than 200 chapters nationwide and celebrated its 159th anniversary Monday, according to its website.
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