Leaders of a University of Arkansas fraternity were forced to resign, and other members must carry out community service, after the fraternity held an unsanctioned party “based on disrespectful racial stereotypes” on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, according to a letter sent to the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity by the university’s Student Affairs Division.
Fraternities must notify the university of any official fraternity events, including social activities. The Student Affairs letter states the fraternity was punished for holding an unsanctioned party, not for any racial themes at the party.
Seven fraternity officers, including the chapter president, were present at the party, which included underage students drinking alcohol, said Scott Flanagin, director of communications for the University of Arkansas.
All members of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity that were present at the party are required to complete 15 hours of community service.
In addition to the punishments against the officers and fraternity members, the fraternity also cannot participate in social functions for six weeks, and cannot recruit during the spring semester, according to the Student Affairs letter.
The fraternity is also required to remit a $500 payment to the Education Fund account.
The letter states the party included fried chicken and 40-ounce containers of alcohol. The letter goes on to state the theme of the party runs “counter to core values of the University of Arkansas. The university strongly condemns these actions, which reflect poorly on the persons involved, the chapter, and are directly contrary to the university’s decades-long effort to create an environment that is welcoming, respectful and inclusive of persons of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.”
