Sigma Alpha Epsilon has continuously been in hot water ever since the incident last spring when the video of their Oklahoma chapter members singing a racist chant went viral, which led to their chapter getting shut down.
Over Halloween weekend, SAE at Yale held a party that was reportedly “white girls only.” Neema Githere took to Facebook to let make everyone aware of the fraternities discrimination. She wrote,
“I’d just like to take a moment to give a shoutout to the member of Yale’s SAE chapter who turned away a group of girls from their party last night, explaining that admittance was on a “White Girls Only” basis; and a belated shoutout to the SAE member who turned me and my friends away for the same reason last year. God Bless the USA.”
Not only was she turned away for being a black woman, but she says this has happened to her before at another SAE party!
Githere isn’t the only one who has dealt with racism from the SAE members. She encouraged anyone else who has had negative experiences with SAE to share them in the comments. Most of the stories people shared backed up what had happened to Githere, which included discrimination, objectification, and name calling.
“Reminds me of the time they asked me and a group of other Latino, predominantly Mexican, friends for our passports when we tried to go to their shitty party a little over a year ago… So sorry this shit is still happening! Can’t stand those rich, spoiled and rude brats.”
“I’m sorry love. Throwback to spring fling two years ago when I was called a n***erb**ch”
“Reminds me of that time they told me they wouldn’t let me in unless they could all individually touch my fro”
However, Yale SAE president Grant Mueller is denying these allegations and told the Yale Daily News that he was “shocked and flabbergasted” by the accusations from the party. Mueller said, “It’s just kind of upsetting for me because we try to be so incredibly accepting and take pride in our diversity.”
SAE’s national office is currently investigating the allegations and told The Washington Post,
“Our chapter at Yale University is comprised of a diverse group of students, and similarly, the social event included a diverse number of attendees. However, we will continue to investigate this allegation to determine additional information. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is committed to the safety and well-being of our members and their guests, and our leadership has zero tolerance for any behaviors or actions that deviate from our values, mission and creed.”
While this incident is under investigation, Githere hopes that this will be a learning experience for everyone. She said, “People don’t know how hard it is out here sometimes.”
