11/21/02 - Civil Disobedience

The national Kappa Alpha fraternity on Wednesday lifted the suspension of its University of Virginia branch, saying chapter members were not responsible for three white students' controversial decision to dress as blacks at a Halloween party the house co-sponsored.

Zeta Psi house remained under "social suspension" Wednesday as its national organization looked into the Oct. 31 incident in which one student wore makeup similar to old-fashioned blackface. The other two darkened their skin with brown makeup to dress as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

The incident - documented in photos circulated around campus and posted online - has prompted outrage among black students and faculty, as well as concern that minority enrollment might drop.

Larry Wiese, executive director of Kappa Alpha's national organization, noted Wednesday that none of the three students was a member of the fraternity. The party was held in the Zeta Psi house on Rugby Road, not on Kappa Alpha property, he added.

The UVa Kappa Alpha chapter, however, will receive diversity education, Wiese said. The national organization is working on details.

"It seems to me the students at UVa need sensitivity training," he said.

Zeta Psi's executive director, Richard Breeswine, said in a news release that he did not believe the students' intent was racist, but "this was still a grossly insensitive thing to do."

The chapter is prohibited from holding social events pending an investigation by the national discipline committee.

Blake Campbell, Zeta Psi's UVa chapter president, declined to comment on the incident. Kappa Alpha's chapter president, Tyler Brown, could not be reached Wednesday.

A student brought the party photos to the attention of UVa's administration Monday, leading to the suspensions of Kappa Alpha and Zeta Psi by both their national organizations and UVa's Inter-Fraternity Council.

One of the party-goers, dressed as "Uncle Sam" in a red, white and blue costume, wore black makeup on his face, accompanied by exaggerated pink lips, sunglasses and an Afro wig. The students costumed as the Williams sisters wore brown turtlenecks and brown makeup on their faces, as well as ponytailed wigs.

"My first reaction was a little bit of disgust," said senior Michael Dunkley, who showed the photos to administrators. "I wasn't that shocked after thinking about it. It does speak to a national problem."

Others said the problem was casual racism on UVa's fraternity row.

"It's usually a group of ignorant young men. It's a racial joke to them," said M. Rick Turner, dean of UVa's Office of African-American Affairs. "I think it's deplorable. I think it's a calculated form of racism."

In light of falling minority enrollment at UVa, Turner said the controversy could hurt diversification efforts. He said his office already has received calls and e-mails from concerned parents of students and prospective students.

Almost 70 percent of UVa undergraduates are white, with blacks making up only 8.9 percent of its undergraduate student body.

Philip Trout, president of UVa's Inter-Fraternity Council, said its executive board will meet privately with the presidents of the two fraternities tonight.

Meanwhile, the council has suspended both houses as its judicial committee explores the incident. The committee will decide later this week if a trial is necessary.

"I felt the suspension was necessary," Trout said, "but the investigation should clear up the whole situation."

Dunkley, co-chairman of the Black Fraternal Council, said the pictures were sent to him and other students in an anonymous e-mail. The copyrighted images originally were posted on a commercial web site, but the site yanked the pictures Monday after receiving a request from the fraternities' national organizations.

Other images of the party remained on the site late Wednesday.

Aaron Laushway, UVa's assistant dean of students for fraternity and sorority life, said the incident had left him "disheartened."

"I think that our students need to continually explore issues of diversity to prepare themselves for the world," he said.

UVa President John T. Casteen III could not be reached Wednesday.

"I was very surprised, very angered," said Okem Nwogu, president of Omega Psi Phi, a predominantly black fraternity at UVa. "We thought we had seen the last of it. Last fall, we had a forum to educate the general mass of students."

The UVa incident follows a string of blackface controversies at college fraternities elsewhere in the country. Two fraternities at Auburn University in Alabama were suspended after students dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb and blackface and Afro wigs for a party.

Last spring, students at UVa's architectural school held a private party during which attendees dressed in hip-hop styles, sparking similar protest.

Nwogu said the Black Fraternal Council, of which he is vice chairman, held a discussion about race relations after the March party, as well as after the Auburn incident.

"There are a lot of angered African-American students on Grounds," he noted, but added: "I don't think this is indicative of white fraternities."

The Black Fraternal Council will meet Sunday and possibly hold another forum before classes end Tuesday for Thanksgiving break, Nwogu said. Dunkley added that the forum, which likely will focus on the history of blackface and why some people consider it offensive, may not happen until next semester.

Turner, however, said holding forums was not enough.

"I'm getting kind of annoyed with the black students talking about a forum," he said.

"They should be sitting in" fraternity houses as an act of protest, Turner added. "All students who care should speak up."

Can anything stop UNC's train wreck?

LARRY KEECH, Staff Writer
News & Record

Can anything stop UNC's train wreck?

LARRY KEECH, Staff Writer News & Record

LARRY KEECH, Staff Writer
News & Record