Not again. A Maryland fraternity and sorority are under fire for reportedly hosting a Country Music Television vs. BET-themed party, where mostly white students dressed in hip-hop regalia and country-styled clothing.
One white female student donned an Afro wig, butt padding and a clingy dress during the event, which the vice president of student affairs at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., described as “reprehensible,” the Daily Mail reports.
“Any event that promotes negative stereotypes or disrespect of others is reprehensible,” Vice President for Student Affairs Beth Gerl said in a statement Wednesday. The soiree was held off-campus in January and was not sanctioned by the college, said spokeswoman Cheryl Knauer, reports say.
Knauer said officials learned of the party in early February and launched an investigation, along with the national headquarters of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which organized the event, the Mail says.
Phi Sigma Sigma issued a statement, calling “the actions associated with this event inappropriate” and vowed to hold members accountable.
Additionally, Phi Delta Theta expressed concerns about the party and also pledged to discipline the students if it is determined that they violated any policies or shown intolerance, the Mail says.
Serene Hueitt, McDaniel’s Black Student Union president, called the incident a setback to battling negative stigmas attached to people of color, according to the McDaniel Free Press.
The event at McDaniel took place at about same time as the controversial racist-themed MLK party organized by the Arizona State University chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Some of the images of the party that were posted on Instagram were accompanied by the hashtag “blackoutformlk.” Following a loud public outcry, the fraternity was kicked off the ASU campus after 65 years.
Read more at the Daily Mail.