A University of Illinois at Champaign Frat and Sorority had an unintentionally racist themed event over spring break. Student activists are calling this photo racist because of the costumes students are wearing. There were students dressed in Arabian ankle-length garment, similar to a robe and wearing hijabs, TSA agent costumes, sombreros, holding maracas, wearing fake mustaches and Native American headdresses.

The organizations of the Frat and Sorority were not intending to be racist in any way and didn’t mean to offend others. The students involved with this occurrence sent out an apology via Facebook (pictured below).

In recent years, the number of racist U.S. college parties has gone up, not including parties and events that do not receive news coverage or get labeled as “racist”. The number of these college parties seem to be increasing and receive more attention now because of social media. Racist college parties and other similar events have been occurring more and more frequently.

For example, In October 2015, The University of Louisville held a staff Halloween party where stereotypical Mexican props were distributed (sombreros, maracas, mustaches, etc.) among guests. The Latino population at this University is 3.4 percent of the college’s student population.

Also another example, In October 2015, members of UCLA’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority threw a party with a “Kanye Western” theme. According to UCLA’s Afrikian American Newsmagazine, witnesses reported:

 
• “a group of women leaving the dormitory dressed in oversized shirts, gold chains, and form-fitting black dresses stuffed to caricature their butts.”
 
• a girl who had “taped a wine glass to her fake butt.”
 
• people “dressed in baggy clothing, bandanas, and gold chains.”
 
• “fraternity members [wearing] black face paint.”
 

It is apparent that students on campus may have stereotypical views of people who don’t share their ethnic background. The negativity in these events stems from cultural appropriation. Wikipedia defines cultural appropriation as “a sociological concept which views the adoption or use of elements of one culture by a member of a different culture as a largely negative phenomenon.”