Racist Univeristy of Oklahoma Chant Originated from National Fraternity Leaders

It appears as though a racist chant that took place at a University of Oklahoma branch of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was learned from the national organization.

The New York Times reports that the discovery was made by the University of Oklahoma's internal investigation into the viral video which brought race to the forefront of the national conversation. University of Oklahoma President David Boren said that the chant was learned by the local chapter at gathering of the entire fraternity's leadership while on a cruise in 2011.  

The revelation is a huge embarrassment for the fraternity, which had tried to respond to the video quickly by closing the Oklahoma chapter and instituting diversity courses at all of its branches. In addition to closing the chapter, the university expelled the two students who were seen leading the chant.

The Times reports that the fraternity has admitted that the chant was shared with local chapters on the leadership cruise, but contends that it is not widespread throughout the organization's more than 200 chapters.

The investigation's findings seem to refute the fact the chant is not widespread. This is because the investigation consisted of 160 interviews, and some of those interview were with leaders of SAE chapters elsewhere.

The investigation also revealed the previously unknown fact that some of the people on the bus where the chant about lynching was sung were actually high school students who had been invited to one of the fraternity's formal events as part of a recruitment drive.

The Times reports that Boren's announcement came after a 90 minute bull session in which the former fraternity members and members of the school's black community came together to discuss the incident.