Auburn Frat boys reinstated


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Judge orders 10 Auburn frat members reinstated


11/24/01

BENJAMIN NIOLET and ADAM GOLDMAN
News staff writers

A judge Wednesday ordered Auburn University to
reinstate 10 white Beta Theta Pi fraternity members
suspended for wearing blackface and racially offensive
costumes at a Halloween party.

Lee County Circuit Court Judge Robert Harper's ruled
at a hearing Wednesday after the Auburn University
chapter sued the university, several administrators
and the fraternity's national office. Harper, however,
did not grant a request to bar the university from
pursuing further discipline, including expulsions.


The chapter president of Delta Sigma Phi, which was
suspended from the school for similar antics, said
Wednesday night that his fraternity plans to go to
court as well. Matt Furin said the chapter wants its
five suspended members reinstated and their fraternity
restored to campus. "We are taking legal action," he
said.

Auburn interim president William Walker suspended 15
members of the traditionally white fraternities after
pictures of members at separate Halloween parties were
posted on the Internet. The pictures showed members
wearing blackface and dressed as Ku Klux Klan members.
Some of the photos portrayed mock lynchings.

The university and the national offices of the
fraternities closed the Auburn chapters last week.

Lawyers for both the Beta chapter and the university
declined comment Wednesday night.

The lawsuit, which seeks $300 million in compensatory
and punitive damages, names Walker, the Auburn
University Board of Trustees, Auburn's director of
student affairs Wes Williams, and Beta Theta Pi
General Fraternity.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims that Auburn
officials and the national office of the fraternity
violated the students' constitutional and civil
rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of
association and privacy guaranteed by the First and
14th Amendments.

The Betas also claim the university's standards on
student conduct, primarily dealing with racial issues,
are unconstitutionally vague and cannot be enforced.
They say university officials defamed them by
identifying them as racists.

The chapter claims university officials had ulterior
motives for suspending the students and kicking the
chapter off campus. The suit said university officials
used the incident to defend their failure to meet
court-required minority recruitment.

Reached at home Wednesday night, Walker said he was
pleased with the disciplinary steps the university had
taken, but declined to discuss the court action.

Williams, the Auburn vice president for student
affairs, said Wednesday, "I think they have the right
to go to the courts. I'm disappointed that this has
been elevated to the courts. I thought we could work
it out."

The Beta chapter was founded in 1964 by Edward Taylor,
79, who said Wednesday he and the suspended members
felt helpless and wronged by the university's
decision.

"I feel like we got a raw deal in having the chapter
suspend us," the Auburn resident said of the chapter
and the students. "We weren't able to do anything
about it." News staff writer Tom Gordon and the
Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

Last night I was watching the local news and the story came across that they tried to keep it quiet and now its gotten out...one month later. They interviewed some white students and they were very nonchalant about the issue saying it was poor judgement and one even said that what they did was their freedom of speech, made me wanna' go down there and "holla" at them. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
I'm so glad I went to Southern U.
Click to expand...
 
Friday, November 30, 2001


http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/11/2001113004n.htm



Judge Orders Auburn U. to Reinstate 10 Students Suspended After Blackface Incident
By THOMAS BARTLETT

An Alabama judge ordered Auburn University last week to reinstate 10 students who had been suspended by the institution after photographs of them wearing blackface at a fraternity Halloween party were posted on the Internet.

Former members of the now-disbanded Auburn chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity have sued the university in state court, seeking $100-million in damages -- $1-million for each of the chapter's 100 former members. The lawsuit contends that the university defamed the students by portraying them as racists and that it violated their First Amendment rights when it punished them for wearing blackface, which the students say is protected speech.

"We have the president of the university saying these are horrible people," said Romaine Scott, a lawyer for the students. "Their reputations have been damaged. They are going to have trouble getting jobs."

Mr. Scott, whose son belonged to the fraternity but was not among those suspended, argued that "the conduct -- even if it were racist -- is protected by law." He added, "We intend to prove that they are not racists. I would not be involved in this if I thought they were."

Mr. Scott has said in the past that he believes the donning of blackface by the students was intended as a tribute to African Americans.

Photographs from the Beta Theta Pi party show many members appearing in blackface, Afro wigs, gold jewelry, and T-shirts emblazoned with the Greek letters of Omega Psi Phi, a historically black fraternity. They are also pictured mimicking gang hand-signs.

The students had been suspended pending the outcome of a university disciplinary hearing. The judge ruled that they should be allowed to attend classes until the university decides what disciplinary action it will take, which could include expulsion.

The defendants named in the lawsuit include William F. Walker, Auburn's interim president; Wesley Williams, the director of student affairs; the university's Board of Trustees; and the national Beta Theta Pi organization, which closed the chapter.

Telephone calls to Mr. Walker and Lee Armstrong, a lawyer for Auburn, were not returned late Thursday.


_______________________


They called this isht a tribute to African Americans. Aww-hell no. I bet they'll walk away from this with their pockets full and wack folks believing the whole incident really wasn't that big a deal.
 
when will the blacks at Auburn understand that they arent wanted there!!!!!

I bet the white boys will win the case...........:(
 
What the h...... is this man talking about? He has lost his F........ mind.



"Mr. Scott has said in the past that he believes the donning of blackface by the students was intended as a tribute to African Americans."
 
A tribute huh??
Well damn, we should pay homage to them......
Guess if we ran around in whiteface, smelly matted hair, with animal skin (cave man gear), no shoes, and grunting it would be a tribute to white folks??
Or maybe if we looked like hicks and slept with our relatives, maybe then??
 
No...as a tribute, why don't we get our men to barge in their house late at night; rape their women, drag the men out and tie them to the back of our pick ups and burn a cadillac sign in their yard. Now that's a tribute!!!
 
Originally posted by BluBlood
No...as a tribute, why don't we get our men to barge in their house late at night; rape their women, drag the men out and tie them to the back of our pick ups and burn a cadillac sign in their yard. Now that's a tribute!!!
Click to expand...

LOL!!!
I agree Blu!!;)
 
i honestly believe that as african americans we need to turn the tables and give them a dose of their own medicine for a change. the is not the 60's anymore, protesting is just a lil outdated. we as a people have grown to some the highest intellectual peaks ever. so, i know that we can put our heads together to come up with a "legal" prank. just because it feels so darn good to know that we got away with a good one and let it be a big misunderstanding.


give'em hell other than moving into their neighborhoods.
 
A "tribute" at a costume party (SMH).

Racism is protected under the constitution?? Now, that's interesting. You can defame another person's race by dressing and saying what you want? Anytime? In front of the people you are defaming?

I haven't had much respect for the legal system for a long time now (sorry SWACPage lawyers); this just adds to it.

Regards.
 

The sad thing is, there are still a lot of Black students preparing to turn in applications to Auburn, UA, and ALL these other PWCs.

I still can not understand why we are the ones who are ALWAYS asked to, "let it go, forgive, and forget"! I would have liked to see them dress up in some nazi uniforms or as Jewish holocaust victims and say it was a tribute to the Jews and see how the courts and the Jews respond!

THEY DON'T RESPECT US, BECAUSE TOO MANY OF US DON'T RESPECT OURSELVES AND OUR HISTORY, WHICH IS THE HISTORY!
 
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