Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Syracuse Permanently Expels Fraternity Over Racist, Anti-Semitic Video

(JTA) — Syracuse University has permanently expelled a campus fraternity after a video surfaced of members using racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and ableist slurs.

In the video, discovered by the Daily Orange, Syracuse’s student newspaper, a member of Theta Tau, a national engineering fraternity, gets on his knees and repeats an oath with slurs against blacks, Hispanics and Jews, among others.

University Chancellor Kent Syverud made the announcement in a video posted to the university’s public website. 

Syverud said that individual students identified in the video could face suspension or expulsion. He added that by the end of the weekend the DPS would “begin recommending charges” and making referrals to the office responsible for the student disciplinary processes.

The Syracuse chapter of Theta Tau on Friday apologized for the actions captured on video and said its members believe racism “has no place on a university campus.”

“It was a satirical sketch of an uneducated, racist, homophobic, misogynist, sexist, ableist and intolerant person,” the fraternity said in a statement. “The young man playing the part of this character nor the young man being roasted do not hold any of the horrible views espoused as a part of that sketch.”

“I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n——-s, sp-cs and most importantly the f—-in’ k-kes,” a member repeats, phrase by phrase, using slurs for black, Hispanic and Jewish people, respectively in the video that was posted on the student newspaper’s website. Soon after he yells, “You f—-in’ k-kes, get in the f—-in’ showers,” a reference to gas chambers during the Holocaust, as other members laugh and applaud.

The video also shows members simulating sexual acts and mocking gay people. Another video features more anti-gay language, as well as a slur against people with disabilities.

“We know this issue extends beyond one fraternity and one video,” Syverud said, adding that the university has “begun a top-to-bottom review of our entire Greek system.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.