Cal Poly students demand action from university after frat’s blackface photo

Outrage on Cal Poly’s campus. The Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity is under fire after a photo of a fraternity member in blackface began circulating on social media. It was taken during a cultural event over the weekend.

We received another photo, a group picture that seems to show fraternity members posing as gang members. The photo was posted on Instagram and has since been deleted.

In a statement to the school paper, Mustang News, the fraternity explained their members dressed in different team colors for a competition. They also apologized for “failing to recognize the racial impacts this brought forth.”

It was standing room only Monday evening as hundreds of young people gathered for a student-organized town hall meeting. Those that couldn’t get into the meeting streamed it on their phones.

Fed up and demanding accountability, some African American Cal Poly students say they no longer feel welcome or appreciated on campus.

Droves of students even marched to Lamda Chi Alpha Fraternity’s doorstep for answers.

“We just want them to come out and talk to us, this is not fair, this is not who we are,” said Senior, Gabriela Peratla.

“We got them doing blackface and they say they’re not doing blackface like we know what they’re doing,” said a Cal Poly student who asked to be called “Kate.”

Cal Poly students say they’re tired of the university sweeping racism under the rug.

“I’m not even disappointed, because Cal Poly is racist. Cal Poly has never not been racist, it’s always been overtly racist,” said Kate.

Late Monday the Dean of Students announced that the fraternity had been placed on interim suspension

“I want the frat to cease and desist, I want the university to expel them, they need to expel them right now,” said Kate.

Interim suspension suspends university recognition and requires a fraternity chapter to suspend all functions and cease all events and activities.

The university’s move comes as the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter’s national headquarters also has placed the chapter on interim suspension.

Tension and calls for action boiled over at a town hall meeting.

“Just like any black person, I mean you see somebody dressed in black face, if you knew the history of blackface you would know exactly how it makes me feel,” said Aaron Quine, a member of Cal Poly’s Black Student Union.

California Polytechnic State University’s Black Student Union is demanding that the administration publicly state their actions toward ending frequently occurring offensive events and maintain public records of their progress.

“We just want the campus to pretty much take action for this instead of brushing it under the rug, things like the have happened in the past and we feel that students are tired of it. Something needs to change,” said Quine.

University officials say they will continue reviewing the weekend gathering that appears to have included racially insensitive behavior.

The university became aware of the gathering after photos began to circulate on social media over the weekend, showing students in offensive outfits and makeup.

“Racism and hate are unwelcome here, in any form. Cal Poly is focused on enhancing the diversity of our campus and providing an environment that is welcoming to all who would study, work or visit here,” said said Kathleen McMahon, Cal Poly’s Dean of Students.

Cal Poly’s President, Jeffrey D. Armstrong, also released the following statement:

This weekend the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity held an event that appears to have included racially insensitive behavior. While the fraternity claims the incident was not intended to be racially motivated, the university continues to review the event to fully understand what occurred. What we do know is the pictures from the event have caused pain to many members of our community. For those who have been hurt and offended, please know that I stand with you.

Like many of you, I have seen the images that circulated on social media and find them to be painful and embarrassing. As president of Cal Poly, and on behalf of the entire Cal Poly family, I am ashamed. Hurtful actions, be they intentional or otherwise, have no place at our university and yet, regrettably, we experience them. They are senseless acts of ignorance that injure and alienate valued members of our community. They must stop. We may come from differing backgrounds, but every one of us at Cal Poly is a human being who deserves respect. In the most important ways, we are one family.

In fact, it is our different backgrounds, experiences and cultures that strengthen and unite us. These differing perspectives and attributes make our campus community special–and they are precisely what we should cultivate and celebrate.

If our student body is not diverse and does not reflect the demographics of the state and communities in which our students will ultimately live and work, we have failed. We have failed diverse students who would benefit from a Cal Poly degree and we have failed to prepare our student body for success after Cal Poly. A critical part of Learn by Doing is experiencing a diverse and enriching environment where every student benefits from living and learning with others who are different from them. We cannot accomplish this important goal if some members of our community are made to feel unwelcome or unwanted.

The responsibility for change lies with every one of us at this university. I ask you to join me in committing yourself to creating a more kind, supportive and inclusive campus community. It is simple and it starts with being mindful and considerate of others and treating everyone with the respect, dignity and humanity they deserve.

An online forum is also available for student’s to provide input during this process. You can find more information here.