Editors’ Note: This story contains an uncensored racial slur.
Update: This story was updated at 6:17 p.m. on Sept. 18 to reflect new information about SGA and Alpha Phi.
Update: This story was updated at 10:42 p.m. on Sept. 24 to reflect new information about the team’s participation at Alpha Phifa and the team’s name.
Members of multicultural organizations are speaking out after Kappa Sigma members used a racist team name at a philanthropy event.
Update: The team name was announced once, and then changed by one of the team members. The team did not play under the name in the rest of the tournament.
Alpha Phifa is a philanthropy event hosted by Alpha Phi where different student organizations can participate in soccer matches against each other for charity. The event took place on Sept. 6.
Some members of Kappa Sigma entered the tournament under the team name “Porch Monkeys,” a racial slur for a lazy slave dating back to the pre-Civil War era.
Update: The team did not play under the offensive team name. The team changed their name and participated in the tournament under the new name.
Trae Trousdale, Student Government Association president, said the multicultural organizations on campus (Black Student Association, Hispanic Student Association and Native American Society) had already planned a meeting with President Martha Burger on Sept. 9 to bring up separate concerns, and addressed the incident in that meeting.
“The university and President Burger are well aware of the situation, and they are handling it at a student conduct level and organizational level,” Trousdale said.
An SGA senator is writing a resolution asking for Kappa Sigma’s suspension, Trousdale said.
Update: A resolution is also being drafted asking for the suspension of Alpha Phi, Trousdale said.
“A resolution was specifically asked for by these three organizations,” he said. “By no means is racism a value in the Greek order.”
Hope Melton, Greek senator, is drafting the resolution to present to the Senate.
“Resolutions are largely symbolic,” Trousdale said. “This is by no means saying they will cease operations, just that we would like them to consider ceasing operations.”
Trousdale said the Senate will hear the resolution, and they will make amendments and vote on the issue.
“Once it’s on the senate floor, it can be approved or disapproved,” he said.
Trousdale said if the resolution gets to his table, he might sign it.
“I lean yes,” he said. “Three organizations asked that this be taken on, and if our Greek district senate approved it, it’s a conversation to have with Matthew Moelling, president of Kappa Sigma.”
The resolution will be discussed at an upcoming SGA senate meeting.
In an email to Student Publications, Moelling wrote that Kappa Sigma condemns racist acts.
“While we cannot comment on individuals associated with an ongoing investigation, we can say that as a values-based organization, existing to create better men and contribute a positive influence to our community, diversity and inclusion are of utmost importance to our chapter,” Moelling wrote. “It is completely contrary to our values and teachings. Our chapter provides a safe open environment in which individuals can thrive.”
Chris Richie, BSA vice president, said the situation disappointed him.
“It’s just sad,” Richie said. “We are living in a world where it’s already hard enough being a person of color. This campus is all about diversity and inclusion, so when you have someone or a group of people come in and just decide to have a name like that, it just makes me sad.”
Richie said action needs to be taken against people who commit racist acts.
“We’ve got to do more than just ignore it. There has to be consequences,” Richie said.
Richie said people need to be more aware of the situation.
“We can’t just keep keeping it quiet. If all of this stuff is happening, I don’t want to just hear about it through word of mouth,” Richie said. “We don’t need to keep anything under wraps, and we just need to find out why people think they can do these kinds of things.”
An email was sent out by President Burger on Sept. 10 about starting a new council for diversity and inclusion to be led by Dr. Amy Ayres, vice president for student affairs, and Joey Croslin, vice president of human resources.
Leondre Lattimore, studio art senior and member of BSA, said he thinks a panel or council would be beneficial, but more is needed.
“I think a panel would be good,” Lattimore said. “I’m all for the events planned, but besides that, I’d like to see more action done. Just having more OCU talks isn’t going to solve this problem. There needs to be more action taken and done with racial sensitivity.”
Lattimore said the university needs to focus more on other facts of diversity and inclusion.
“I want to see something serious done. It seems like ever since I got on campus, there’s been some racial issues,” he said. “We talk a lot about diversity and inclusion, but I’d like to see more of a no-tolerance standpoint. It’s turning into a thing where students are starting to be ok with it.”
Richie said BSA will continue to stand strong.
“BSA is here to be a safe space for people of color,” Richie said. “We are here to spread the black agenda, and we will show campus that we are here and we are strong.”C
Hope Melton, staff writer, is the Greek senator for SGA. She was not involved in the writing or editing of this story.
These actions a reprehensible and need to be addressed by Kappa Sigma internally. The organization also should use this as an opportunity to help the campus community become more inclusive by doing some sponsoring and participating diversity and inclusion work shops on campus. They should also do somthing to address the actions of their members.
Additionally, I would be remiss if I was not critical of media OCU and their coverage of this issue. I know that this team was not made up solely of Kappa Sigmas, and I’m not even a member of that organization. While media OCU did do an update to say there is also a resolution being drafted about the other organization involved they did not explain it and really only focused on one organization. This is poor reporting at best and willfully exclusionary at worst. I hope media OCU does better on the future.
It should come as no surprise that the above article is almost wholly inaccurate. As the facts come out about what happened and how it will shed new light on an unfortunate and regrettable incident.
OCU is a very diverse school and inclusive to students of all ethnicity, religious beliefs and otherwise. The Greek system at OCU is a champion of diversity, including both organizations mentioned.
Asking student organizations to cease operations is a very slippery slope, particularly when based on the still alleged and likely misunderstood actions of only one or a few of their members. Does this mean an athletic team will be disbanded if one or a few players make a mistake? How about Student Senate being impeached over one Senator’s behavior.
Seems like working together to resolve this might be a positive approach, and a way to make OCU a better place. This seems like a headhunt, nothing more…
Get the true facts, let the student organizations respond and then determine what measures are appropriate.
Lolllll look at these commenters who don’t want to be held responsible for their actions!!!
Beatrize, that you?
Lol go study for the bar