Fraternity members allegedly caught chanting anti-Black slurs

   The national fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon has found one of its college chapters under scrutiny following allegations that some of it members made racist chants.

SAE’s national headquarters closed its chapter at the University of Oklahoma on Sunday after a video surfaced appearing to capture some of its members singing a racist chant. SAE’s nationals have suspended all members of its University of Oklahoma chapter, and are considering permanently revoking membership privileges from the members allegedly involved.

The video depicts a group of white, formally dressed men chanting “There will never be a n***** in SAE, You can hang ‘em from a tree but they’ll never sign with me, There will never be a n***** in SAE.” The video was acquired and posted on Twitter and YouTube by Unheard, a Black student organization.

In a statement released in response to the video, SAE national president Brad Cohen said “I was not only shocked and disappointed but disgusted by the outright display of racism in the video. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a diverse organization, and we have zero tolerance for racism or similar behavior.”

SAE also released an organization-wide online statement. “We apologize for the unacceptable and racist behavior of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way,” the statement read.

“Furthermore, we are embarrassed by this video and offer our empathy not only to anyone outside the organization who is offended but also to our brothers who come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities.”

Susan DuMont, UMBC’s Coordinator of Student Life for Fraternities and Sororities, expressed her own personal disapproval towards the University of Oklahoma’s SAE chapter. “It is disgusting that in 2015 a fraternity and university have to apologize for overt, horrific racist behavior from students,” she said, “but I am glad to see that the presidents of both Sigma Alpha Epsilon and [the University of Oklahoma] have responded swiftly and with action.”

DuMont went on to contrast the situation involving the University of Oklahoma with the culture cultivated by UMBC’s fraternities and sororities. “I am confident that behavior like this could not happen at UMBC today and that is one reason I’m proud to work with our community,” she said.

Other groups have also issued responses to the video. The Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP tweeted calling for “a proper investigation” and for justice to be administered.

Unheard, the student group that released the video, wrote online that “50 years after the events that occurred in Selma, Alabama we still have a reason to march. We as a people have indeed come a long way, but yet still have so far to go.” The University of Oklahoma’s administration stated that it is investigating the incident.

SAE has found itself involved in a number of public incidents involving misconduct in the past few years. In 2014, its University of Connecticut chapter was banned for five years following allegations of hazing. Last month, its Yale chapter was banned for sexual misconduct at an initiation ceremony the previous year.

“National staff and volunteers are doing very good programming at national and regional leadership conferences, electronic training programs, and in-person support from volunteers and staff,” said DuMont, speaking on how incident like the one in Oklahoma ought to be handled. “However, the challenge is offering the education and intervention that each chapter needs, and offices can only respond to what they know about.”

Sources: [http://abcnews.go.com/US/video-purportedly-shows-sigma-alpha-epsilon-frat-members/story?id=29490305

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/us/fraternity-closed-at-oklahoma-after-video-of-racist-chant.html?_r=0]

This past Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he is prepared to use his full authority to reform Ferguson’s police department, even going as far as to “dismantle” it if necessary.

A report released on Wednesday by the Justice Department found that there was “widespread racial bias” in Ferguson’s police department. During the investigation, several racist emails were found to be sent by workers within the department. This discovery resulted in the prompt resignation of two supervisors, and the firing of a third employee.

The report concluded that excessive force was used regularly. It also pointed out that 93% of those arrested by the Ferguson PD, were African American.

President Obama concurred with the findings of the Justice Department, saying that investigation into racial bias was “very clear.”

The investigation was conducted in response to the incident involving Michael Brown seven months ago. On August 9, 2014, Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson. Many have since questioned the validity of Wilson’s action, and believe they may have been racially motivated.

However, tensions boiled over on November 24, when Saint Louis county prosecutor announced that the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. Nationwide protests and riots ensued this decision, and some protests were even seen here at UMBC.

Although the Justice Department plans to “reform” the Ferguson Police Department, they made it clear last Wednesday that they would not pursue charges against Wilson.

Holder expanded on what exactly these “reforms” could entail when he was at Andrews Air Force Base. He told reporters, “We are prepared to use all the powers that we have … to ensure that the situation changes there. That means everything from working with them to coming up with an entirely new structure.”

When asked if this could include completely dismantling the department, Holder said, “If that’s what’s necessary, we are prepared to do that.”

According to Ferguson Mayor James Knowles, city officials will meet with the Justice Department in about two weeks to begin negotiating agreements on reforms. He also said that whatever they agree upon must achieve “mutual satisfaction.”

Although agreement is optimal for the sake of efficiency, the Justice Department has the option to sue and force reform if a compromise cannot be reached, and they will have the upper hand in these negotiations.

After five years here, UMBC’s Greek Life Coordinator shifting her focus to law school

Last week, Susan DuMont announced that she will be stepping down from her role as the Coordinator of Student Life for Fraternities and Sororities, after five years in that role. She plans to stay in Student Life for one more year in a graduate assistant role but will not be directly supporting the greek community.

DuMont received her Masters in Counseling in Higher Education/Student Affairs from the University of Delaware, where she held her graduate internship in Greek Life. Prior to starting graduate school she traveled as an Educational Leadership Consultant for Alpha Phi Fraternity, a role which allowed her to visit over 25 campuses to work with chapters on a variety of topics and issues.

Could you give a description of what you do, in general terms? What goes into coordinating Greek Life?

I’m a Coordinator in Student Life, so I have general duties for the office including being a member of committees like the Student Affairs Alcohol & Other Drug Committee, the Student Affairs Assessment & Research Committee, and the Women’s Center Advisory Board. I of course also then have specific duties related to the Fraternity & Sorority Community. I’m an advisor to all of the chapters and greek councils, so I work closely with each of the presidents including weekly meetings and a lot of general email communication and drop ins. I support large scale programming like Greek Week and Panhellenic Formal Recruitment, which is a four day recruitment process that resulted in more than 65 women receiving bids in one day. I also do hazing prevention education with chapters and am a co-chair of the Hazing Prevention Work Group. I work with the staff and volunteer partners for all the chapters, including local advisors and national and international staff. As a formal staff member of an International Headquarters, I really value the consistent support chapters can receive from those offices and have tried to help chapters see their national officers as a source of support, not something to be afraid of. One of the things that is most interesting about my role is that most of the time I am the biggest campus advocate for the Fraternity/Sorority experience, but I can also serve as the charging party in Student Judicial Programs cases to hold chapters accountable when they break rules. Fortunately, that is very rare and I get to spend most of my time and energy supporting a great, healthy, vibrant Greek Experience. It’s an interesting dynamic, though, to be the ‘cheerleader’ most of the time and then be the ‘principal’ at others. I like to think that members know that I am an advocate for the greek experience when it is done right, and I will fight for that experience every day. But when it is not done right — when students are harmed by our organizations — I am advocating for our national history, values and future by being the one that enforces high standards.

Q: Why are you stepping down? Where are you going?

In the Fall of 2013, I started law school at the University of Maryland in the evening program. For the past two years I have worked full time, gone to school almost full time, and commuted from Newark, Delaware. I love my work and I love UMBC, but it’s time to make a change. I will graduate in May of 2016, if I’m able to be a truly full time student next year, and that seemed like the choice that it was time to make. There are a lot of co-curricular experiences at the law school that I haven’t been able to do because of my schedule and I’m excited to have one year to try to gather a few of those experiences. I really believe that the bulk of education happens outside of the classroom, and I needed to make time to have those experiences in my legal education just like I encourage UMBC students to do. I will be a Graduate Assistant with Student Life next year, but working in a different capacity. Students will still see me, just doing different work and for less hours per week! After that … I’ll let you know what I do. I have a great level of empathy of UMBC’s seniors right now.

Q: What were the most significant events at UMBC or in the UMBC Greek community during your time here?

That’s a great and tough question. I’m trying to think what students would say in addition to what I would say!

First, I very clearly remember the moment that the Coke trucks came and collected all of the Coke vending machines while the Pepsi ones were loaded in. I haven’t forgotten the joy of fountain Cokes with lunch during my first semester here.

In terms ‘events,’ I think the Fall 2010 Townhall is the hour that I look back on as the most impactful hour of my time here so far. I wanted to have a community meeting to introduce myself to the members so we invited all members to a free hour meeting with the promise of some t-shirts. It has grown into a great tradition that still includes some community pride swag. Townhall is our time to come together to see each other in one place, to share our updates and successes with each other, and celebrate our community. This Spring will be our tenth Townhall which also feels like a nice even number for me to bow out with.

I’ve also seen a great number of new chapter and community events that stand out, not necessarily as the most significant, but certainly as memorable. Our first Greek Summit last year; the NPHC step show that opened for Snoop Dogg during Quadmania; the Greek Games tricycle races in Spring of 2012; Pi Kappa Phi’s Wheelchair Basketball Tournament last semester; the first MGC Showcase; and the publication of Phi Mu’s cookbook all stand out as great memories that felt like moments of pride and celebration of the unique aspects of UMBC’s community.

The World of Thedas is Back and Bigger than Ever

The highly anticipated installment in the Dragon Age franchise lives up to fan expectations.

When it comes to world building, game developer Bioware knows what they are doing. Games such as Dragon Age: Origins and the Mass Effect trilogy have been hailed by fans and critics alike for their scope and detail. The newest chapter in the Dragon Age series was released in November, and in terms of sheer size and scope, it left all other Bioware games far behind.

The fictional world of Thedas is the setting for the Dragon Age games. Players are all too familiar with the map of Thedas from various loading screens and codices, but the world previously felt very linear, limited to a single path or a few buildings. Dragon Age 2 was the worst offender, allowing players to only go where the story allowed them to go.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the world is entirely open, on par with the open world of Skyrim. There is no mountain the player cannot climb, no river they cannot accidentally drown themselves in. Players are allowed to visit locales that they could only dream of in previous games, such as the glittering city of Val Royeaux.

The heart of any video game is in its characters, and the characters of Inquisition are incredible. As with any Bioware games, players have the option of befriending characters, romancing characters or making enemies of every single person they meet. Each character is charmingly endearing and realistically flawed, making them the perfect companions.

The combat system is vastly improved from previous games, allowing for a much easier gaming experience. There are more opportunities for teamwork and strategy as opposed to mindlessly hitting enemies with swords. Though the developers removed healing spells from gameplay, which was a controversial choice, it makes every battle more important and the damage taken in each more critical.

One of the most praised aspects of this game is the character creation. While most games give you several options for what your nose or mouth is allowed to look like, Inquisition allows for an in-depth personalization of the main character. Some players could spend hours making sure that their character’s cheek bones are just high enough or that their tattoos look right.

Personalization does not end with character creation. Players will ultimately earn a palace through the course of the game and are allowed to personalize multiple aspects of it, such as the windows, furniture and use of various rooms. This, coupled with the choices the player makes throughout the game, makes each playthrough entirely unique.

Though the graphics are by no means flawless and glitches abound, there is no denying that the game is beautiful. The developers paid very close attention to detail, especially when developing the different locations and landmarks of the game, and the graphics have improved quite a lot since the first game of the series, Dragon Age: Origins.

With an uplifting score, beautiful landscapes, an expansive world, an intriguing plot, wonderful characters and an abundance of dragons, Dragon Age: Inquisition is by far one of the best games to come out of 2014.

Why mandatory work programs for students aren’t beneficial

Some believe that every student should be required to retain some sort of job while attending school. However, is that really in the best interest of all students?

There’s a question over whether or not universities should require students to have some kind of job, no matter how menial it may be. Some believe this is a necessity, something colleges should enforce for all students — but it seems much more beneficial to simply encourage students to work rather than force them.

In a March 1 Wall Street Journal article, Laura Hamilton, an associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Merced, advocated for work programs in schools. The reasoning behind this idea is that universal employment for all students could lead to on the job training, bettering time management skills and help to blur the lines of social inequalities.

A fraction of students have the bill for college footed by family, with no added stress on the students and no need to pursue a livelihood due to no financial stress. However, there is also the fraction of students who struggle with tuition payments and are required to take any sort of job in order to help pay for their education.

The end result is unequal footing between the haves and the have nots. Requiring all students, regardless of financial situation, to seek employment might bridge this monetary and social gap. It seems beneficial for students to work, but it does raise the question of whether or not it should be a requirement.

Making students work would be the wrong way of going about things. Reenah Sheikh, a freshman biology major, said, “Getting a job wouldn’t make students equal. Not all jobs pay the same. It would just increase the social gap across campus.”

College is meant to be a stepping stone to future success, and through pushing all students to get jobs, the original good intentions may end up lost, instead undermining a student’s academic career through added stress. Some students may get relevant job training for their planned profession, but whether it’s menial work or an internship, the requirement could further hurt students.

A more effective solution could be reached through encouraging all students to pursue work, either on or off campus. Universities can push internship opportunities as a primary form of instruction, in order to help students become more proficient in the working world.

College is one of the first times in many people’s lives that a young adult can gradually start making their own decisions. Through forcing each student to have a job, universities could take away many of these student’s choices.

The possibility of working 10–15 hours in a menial job that has no guarantee to help the student retain any useful future skill could simply vex and put unnecessary pressure on a student. Self-driven and determined students usually take the matter of employment into their own hands and are compelled by their own resolve.

However, if students are required to work, which could take away from studying, social activities and any number of interests, there might be much less motivation on the student’s part which would end up hurting their academic career.

The choice of retaining a job while studying in college should be a choice solely left to the student, they should be in charge of their own college experience.

Photo Credit: Sara Azeem

Cisco - Columbia, Maryland

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time - Experienced, Full-Time - Entry-Level

POSTING DATE: Mar 03, 2015

END DATE: Jun 03, 2015