The University of Missouri’s chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity has been suspended following an incident involving members allegedly shouting racial slurs at a group of black students, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which obtained police reports. Fraternities have recently found themselves in hot water for racist incidents, including last year’s video of the frat SAE shouting a racist chant.
The police report and narratives say the incident happened Tuesday night after members of the Legion of Black Collegians left an event. While walking, the group of black students claim someone in a group that passed them said, “Look how those n****rs are looking at us.” Officer Jacob Clifford wrote in his narrative that one Black Collegian said they had seen the group, who looked drunk, knocking over trash cans before the racial slur was said. The Black Collegian then went on to identify the person who used the slur as a “tall, white female in a black romper.” That woman later spoke to police, apologizing and saying she “had no intentions of that.” Names of the students have been redacted in the documents, though we know that eight students (six white and two black) were involved.
Witnesses who were identified as members of the Alpha Phi sorority said they saw the Delta Upsilon members using the slurs and knew who they were, but didn’t want to identify them out of "fear of getting them in trouble."
The group that included the female who allegedly used the racial slur were stopped in front of the Delta Upsilon house. Then people inside DU began shouting, making the crowd even angrier. Officer Clifford said he couldn’t make out what the people inside the house were shouting. The Black Collegians, however, said that besides shouting racial slurs, the people from inside Delta Upsilon were laughing, pointing at them, and telling them to “go home” and “f*** off.”
The DU members also blasted rap music out of a window, which the Black Collegians took as mockery. A DU member said black students started yelling at him, with one female allegedly yelling, “Get down here so I can beat your cracker ass.”
The Black Collegiates confronted DU, with one student going up to the house’s porch. Officers including Clifford and Ludwig had body cameras turned on during the incident.
The Delta Upsilon chapter at the school has been suspended by campus administrators and the national Delta Upsilon organization. The allegations are being investigated by Missouri’s Title IX and Student Conduct offices.
