The issue of diversity is taking center stage at the University of Chicago as dozens of student organizations, including Student Government, are demanding that the university suspend Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity (AEPi) after racist and misogynistic emails were leaked to the media. The student groups also want the university to take immediate steps to address “evidence of a toxic campus climate.”
Several email messages that were sent within the fraternity over a five-year period were leaked anonymously to national media outlets. The messages contained highly offensive language describing a Muslim student government leader as a “terrorist,” Palestinians and Arabs as “towel heads,” and African-Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr., in derogatory terms.
In a sharply-worded statement sent to university officials—and released to the media—the Muslim Students Association, the Organization of Black Students and the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) condemned the fraternity and said the offensive emails were just the latest in a string of incidents involving “continuous harassment, hate speech and threats of violence” on the campus.
The statement, endorsed by 25 registered campus groups and the Student Government, described 10 additional incidents dating back to 2010 in which two other fraternities and various individuals targeted students of color in name-calling, stereotypical theme parties, anonymous fliers and postings on social media. In particular, several incidents of intolerance and vandalism against Palestinian students were cited.
“For many years, members of SJP have been asking the administration to release a statement condemning the anti-Palestinian harassment and hate speech. The University has been unresponsive to these requests,” the student coalition stated.
In response to the students’ complaints and demands, the dean of students and vice president for student life sent an email to the student body last week on Feb. 4 stating, “The University is working with all students to make sure that our campus respects these values. The language used is disrespectful and harmful, particularly to members of our Muslim and African-American communities and to women. The attitudes and views they express are unacceptable, violate the University’s core values, and conflict with our strong commitment to ensuring that people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives can thrive on our campus.”
