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Cal Poly fraternity leaders quit over blackface scandal

April 12, 2018

The chapter officers of Cal Poly’s Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity have all resigned over the blackface incident that has snowballed into national news story, not just a community controversy. [Cal Coast Times]

On Saturday, while Cal Poly was holding its Poly Cultural weekend, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha was photographed in blackface at a fraternity brotherhood event. The blackface photo, coupled with a second photo showing fraternity members dressed as gangsters, have caused outrage in the local community.

Cal Poly administrators responded by launching an investigation and suspending the fraternity. Students responded with protests outside the fraternity house and by voicing anger during a town hall meeting.

On Wednesday, the national board of Lambda Chi Alpha announced in a press release that the Cal Poly chapter’s officers had resigned and that two other members quit the fraternity. The national board placed the local fraternity chapter on probationary suspension until April 2019.

The national directors also ordered the formation of an alumni control board, which will be granted the power to act on behalf of the chapter. The alumni board will conduct a fraternity membership review and impose disciplinary measures when appropriate.

Discipline could include probation, suspension or expulsion of members from the fraternity. Remaining members of the fraternity will partake in inclusion and diversity training and education.

If Cal Poly’s Lambda Chi Alpha commits additional violations of fraternity policy, the chapter will face closure for a period of at least five years, according to the news release.

Following the announcement of punitive measures against the Cal Poly Lambda Chi Alpha chapter, national news outlets, including the New York Times, picked up the story. The New York Times article alluded to multiple “racist or insensitive incidents” at Cal Poly in recent years, including a College Republicans-sponsored “Free Speech Wall” that contained anti-Muslim comments.


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Wow. What if the Cal Poly frat guys dressed as women, wearing dresses and stuffing their bras and wear high heels? They’ve done this before, all in fun. Women are minorities also. Does Cal Poly make a big deal then? Does the subject make the national news? No. No it doesn’t.


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Oh the humanity! Major overreaction. Boo hoo I don’t feel safe at Cal Poly because some ignorant white kid put shoe polish some where other than his shoes. Maybe Cal Poly should stop keeping score at all their sporting events so no one gets their feelings hurt. And handing out participation diplomas at graduation. What a weak generation.


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Very thin skinned people. Get a life.


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The sky is falling! We’re outraged! We’re offended! We’re so traumatized we can’t sleep at night! This isn’t a safe space for us anymore! We’re victims!


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Today there is a scheduled student protest over this outrageous racist statement. I challenge to observe the videos of this protest and find racial diversity. To further their cause, maybe some can give up their placement to other eligible minorities who were not accepted.


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So….if one is white and was accepted to Cal Poly and had nothing to do with this affair, one should contact the university and ask them to accept a student of color instead? Is that what you are saying?


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You got it! Affirmative Action is nothing new, a percentage of this and that is how you would pick to create racial diversity thence the same in the business world. This is what the students want to see more of UNTIL they don’t get hired because the are not the deficient race prerequisite. Saw the news this morning, a white crowd and the same African American the camera kept re-shooting, must of been a poor attendance of African American? A vicious circle that continues to repeat for news thence advertisement.


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Remember frat boys, there probably won’t be any consequences if you slip women roofies at your parties and they wake up with no recollection of the night before, but put a little shoe polish on your face and you are gone!


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This stuff has gotten out of control. What’s next? Banning people from dressing up at Halloween? This kind of over reaction is why I will never give that college where I graduated from another dime.


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