Sorority Under Investigation For Giving Out "Blackest Member" Award

[matcom]

<snip>

Kent State University officials have placed the Chi Omega sorority on probation for giving a ``blackest member'' award to a white woman.

The sorority will not be able to hold social functions while officials investigate the incident, which occurred at a formal dinner-dance at the Student Center Ballroom on Saturday.

The president of Chi Omega's KSU chapter, marketing major Marisa Stroud, released a written statement to the media apologizing for the award. She declined to comment further or answer questions.

On Thursday, three sorority members met with black students and KSU administrators for an hour, according to Sasha Parker, president of Black United Students.

Parker said the Chi Omega members told the group that the award -- one of many bestowed that night -- was a joke among friends, not a slap at black students.

Parker said she could accept that explanation, noting that the student who received the award brought a black date to the event.

``We don't believe they're racist,'' she said. ``We just think it's an insensitivity issue.''

Parker, who is studying magazine journalism, said she was ``shocked that something like that happened.

``I thought it was blatantly stupid of them to do that.''

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/ohio/news/14341337.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news

[eyepaddle]

1. Who woulda thunk it?

A poorly thought-out action from a college sorority?
(Frats too, but this story is sorority!)

[scordem]

2. Dear gawd, how stupid ARE people?

As well as being unkind and insensitive? That kinda shit just makes me furious!

[xmas74]

3. I've got this one beat.

One of the local frats at my hometown college has been kicked off campus and will probably lose its charter. On MLK Day they had Legs, Seeds and 40's Party. Supposedly they wore blackface, sat on their front and back porches and sang old minstral songs will eating fried chicken and drinking 40's. And whenever a student walked by they had a watermelon seed spitting contest.

I heard that it made national news. I'll see if I can dig up the link soon.