Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity issues statement in response to alleged blackface incident; university and community respond – The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Editor's Note: This is a breaking news story. Updates will be provided as they become available.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a statement from Colorado State University administration and a statement posted on Lambda Chi Alpha's Instagram page.

Content warning: This article contains mentions of racism and blackface, as well as images and videos that may be offensive to some viewers. All images and videos have been provided by a source.

The Colorado State University chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was reported to university officials Thursday morning for allegedly displaying a large flag with Uncle Sam, who had a kind of black painted face on him.

Corey Valentine, a CSU student, first saw the flag at 11:58 p.m. and took several photos and videos. He later returned to the fraternity house to take more photos and videos.

“I drove around several times and just thought, 'This can't be true – this can't be true,'” Valentine said.

Valentine then filed a Report of an incident of bias He contacted the university around 2:30 a.m. and received an email from a spokesperson around 8 a.m. When Valentine returned to the entrance of the house around 5 a.m., the flag had been removed.

Valentine also published his results on the social media site YikYakwhere doubts quickly arose about the authenticity of the photos. After Valentine posted the photos on his personal Instagram account, Valentine and another student, Matthew Bishop, met with members of the Black/African American Cultural Center, The colleague and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

FSL was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

The colleague contacted a university spokesman after Valentine's first report and asked for comment.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday, a university spokesman issued the following statement.

“The CSU has been informed of the situation and is gathering information,” the statement said. “The university stands firm as an inclusive place for all students and upholds the values ​​represented in the CSU's community principles.”

United Men of Color, a student organization affiliated with B/AACC, made a statement Conviction of Lambda Chi Alpha.

“UMC is committed to creating safe spaces for all students on campus, and we will not tolerate silence in the face of blatant racist attacks,” the statement said.

Africans United and United Women of Color also made public statements.

“On behalf of the Africans United Board of Directors, we condemn the actions of Lambda Chi in the strongest possible terms,” ​​the Africans United statement said. “Such behavior is completely unacceptable and inconsistent with our values.”

A statement regarding the incident, signed by CSU President Amy Parsons, Provost and Executive Vice President Marion Underwood, Vice President for Student Affairs Blanche Hughes, and Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Kauline Cipriani, was posted on the CSU's official Instagram account at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, September 6.

The statement reads:

“The CSU has received reports of a situation in which a student fraternity allegedly displayed a racially insensitive banner. The CSU takes this incident very seriously.

“The university is reviewing all reported incidents and is currently working to gather facts and fully understand what happened.

“Regardless of how this situation arose, it has caused real harm and pain to our students, staff and community. Affected students and members of the CSU community can seek support.

“Although the facts are not yet clear, this is an opportunity for us to reaffirm our values. Racism in any form is unacceptable, abhorrent and contrary to the CSU's community principles.

“We all have a responsibility in our community to create a place where everyone feels honored and safe. To do this, we must live our values.

“Aries take care of Aries.”

Valentine and Bishop said they returned to the fraternity house after meeting and consulting with the various CSU offices to see if anything had changed. When they arrived, there was no poster in sight, but Valentine and Bishop were reportedly approached and filmed, and fraternity members allegedly shouted profanities at them from their windows.

The fraternity members shown in the video repeatedly threatened legal action against Valentine and Bishop, claiming they entered the fraternity's premises and filmed illegally. Members also accused Valentine of stealing the poster in question.

A spokesman for Lambda Chi referred The colleague to the national section of the Brotherhood for comment. At the time of publication it was not possible to provide a comment outside of business hours.

On Friday, September 6, at around 9 p.m., Lambda Chi Alpha released a statement on their Instagram page.

The statement reads:

“We want to acknowledge recent events. The images circulating of the recruitment banner are not representative of the painted banner that was posted in this post. It appears that the banner has taken on an enhanced tint due to rain and backlighting. We apologize for the distress this has caused to the CSU and the Fort Collins community.

“Lambda Chi Alpha Gamma Pi Zeta at Colorado State University continues to support diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the community. We regret that some members of the community have felt otherwise. We condemn racism, any form of discrimination or prejudice. We will continue to strive to be a chapter where all people feel accepted and included.”

Accordingly University policy As for incidents of biased reporting, Valentine's report will likely be forwarded to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for further review.

Updates will be provided as they become available.

Reach Sam Hutton and Aubree Miller at [email protected] or on Instagram at @sam_hut14 and @aubree.miller07.