My Controversy

Greek life is no stranger to criticism at the local and state level. The University of Oklahoma chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, however, made national headlines in March when a video surfaced of members singing a racist song.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/12/racism-sae-chapters_n_6857500.html

The Huffington Post article states that in light of this video, other chapters of SAE are being investigated to find out if those campuses are engaging in similarly offensive behaviors. SAE chapters located on University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University and Louisiana Tech University campuses are under even greater examination, with school officials looking for a "cultural issue" in the fraternity as a whole. Fraternity leaders recognize that the reputation of SAE has been irreversibly tainted, but they also express a desire for open communication on issues such as diversity. This controversy piques my interest as I participated in sorority recruitment at the beginning of this year. I was amazed to hear all of the turmoil surrounding the fraternity system at the U of A, and I find that this article enhances my understanding of what gets these chapters into hot water with their schools.