A fraternity at MU has been suspended after members allegedly yelled racial slurs at black students in front of their fraternity house Tuesday night.
Administrators responded Wednesday afternoon by temporarily suspending the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. The university is also investigating the students involved in the incident to determine whether any individuals should also be punished.
The confrontation came nearly a year after the MU campus erupted in protest over a similar incident, resulting in the resignation of the university system president.
MU’s Legion of Black Collegians hosted a town hall discussion last night to provide a space for students to talk about the incident. Members of the Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council, the University Police, faculty and administrators including Mike Middleton were in attendance.
The Legion of Black Collegians tweeted that MU Counseling Center employees were also there to provide counseling services for students.
Najeebah Hussain, the chair of the MSA Senate Social Justice Committee, said the meeting was an opportunity for rarely-heard voices to share their thoughts.
“It’s raw. Multiple people cried. You see what people are dealing with firsthand and how it’s affecting them,” Hussain said.
Hussain also said that much of the discussion focused on keeping Greek life accountable and putting in place policies that would prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association both released statements on Wednesday afternoon condemning the behavior of the Delta Upsilon members.
Sean Earl, MSA President, said the administrators’ quick response and presence at the meeting shows slight improvements have been made, but that “severe consequences” are necessary going forward.
“This is a situation that affects every student on this campus, not just black students,” Earl said. “We need to realize that how we treat each other ultimately determines how our university is set up and how we operate as an institution.”
The town hall was followed by a group prayer.
“We have zero tolerance for actions like this,” Foley said in a news release Wednesday morning.
The university says it is still investigating the incident, and people involved may be subject to suspension or expulsion.
Copyright 2020 KBIA. To see more, visit .
