Two students were expelled from the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday for allegedly leading a racist chant that was caught on a video that went viral on social media as shocked and horrified people shared the clip.
The head of the national fraternity swiftly apologized and closed the OU chapter, and OU’s president, David Boren, had strong words condemning racism at a rally Monday. On Tuesday, he announced that two students would be expelled.
“I have emphasized that there is zero tolerance for this kind of threatening racist behavior at the University of Oklahoma,” he said in a release. “I hope that the entire nation will join us in having zero tolerance of such racism when it raises its ugly head in other situations across our country. I am extremely proud of the reaction and response expressed by our entire university family —students, faculty, staff and alumni about this incident. They are ‘Real Sooners’ who believe in mutual respect for all. I hope that students involved in this incident will learn from this experience and realize that it is wrong to use words to hurt, threaten and exclude other people.
“We will continue our investigation of all the students engaged in the singing of this chant. Once their identities have been confirmed, they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.”