Tau Kappa Epsilon has indefinitely suspended its chapter at the University of Georgia after a video showing members using racial slurs surfaced last week.
The video, which went viral on social media, shows a member of the fraternity slapping another member with a belt while mocking slavery and using the N-word, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
The national chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon condemned the incident on Saturday, terming it as “racist, discriminatory, and/or offensive.” Since then, the national body has expelled the four members who appear in the video and has suspended the university chapter of the fraternity.
“Tau Kappa Epsilon is disgusted, appalled and angered by the remarks shown in the video,” reads the statement. “After being alerted to the incident yesterday, Tau Kappa Epsilon professional staff and members of the Xi-Lambda chapter at University of Georgia immediately began a thorough investigation into the actions of these four men.”
National chapter officials have also determined that the incident didn’t happen during a fraternity function or on chapter premises.
In response to the video, the university referred the matter to its Equal Opportunity Office and emphasized its ongoing desire to promote a welcoming campus environment.
“Racism has no place on our campus,” the university statement reads. “We will continue our efforts to promote a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our students, faculty and staff.”
The University of Georgia condemns racism in the strongest terms. Racism has no place on our campus. We will continue our efforts to promote a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our students, faculty and staff.
— UGA (@universityofga) March 23, 2019
In a similar incident last week, a University of Missouri police officer Marcus Collins was fired from the school after a picture of him wearing blackface surfaced on social media. He identified himself in the picture, claiming that it was taken before he joined the campus police force in January 2018.
Two University of Oklahoma Students Leave University Over Racist Video