FILE: A fraternity at Syracuse University was permanently expelled Saturday. (Syracuse University)
A fraternity at Syracuse University was permanently expelled Saturday after an offensive video surfaced that members say was intended as satire.
The New York school's Theta Tau chapter said on its website that one of its members this year is a conservative Republican, and the new members roasted him by playing the part of a racist conservative character.
"It was a satirical sketch of an uneducated, racist, homophobic, misogynist, sexist, ableist and intolerant person," the statement said. "The young man playing the part of this character nor the young man being roasted do not hold any of the horrible views espoused as a part of that sketch."
WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO BELOW
Chancellor Kent Syverud apparently did not see the supposed humor in the sketch. He called the video "racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, ableist and sexist" in a video posted on the university's website.
He said disciplinary actions against the individual students involved could include suspension or expulsion. Syracuse.com reported that 18 students received citations, which are not criminal.
The video showed a group of men laughing uproariously at performances punctuated by racist language against blacks, Jews and Hispanics and simulated sex acts. Some students contend the video illustrates larger issues of racism and sexism at the university.
The Daily Orange posted the six-minute video on its website that depicts an oath: “I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*****s, s***s and most importantly the f***ing k***s.”
The Syracuse chapter of Theta Tau, a national engineering fraternity, apologized for the video Friday and says its members believe racism "has no place on a university campus."
The school said it will never be allowed to release the names of the students in the video over federal privacy law. News of the skit circulated through the campus on Wednesday.
The fraternity did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the chapter's expulsion Saturday, the AP reported.
Syverud said that in addition to expelling the Theta Tau chapter, university official "have begun a top-to-bottom review of our entire Greek system."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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