On Wednesday, April 18, 2018, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud informed the student body that a disturbing video from the engineering fraternity Theta Tau had been obtained, featuring members engaging in racist, homophobic, sexist, and ableist speech.

Later that afternoon, a forum was hosted at Hendricks Chapel to discuss the nature of the content in the video, which the Chancellor refused to release to the public, despite multiple demands made from various students in attendance.

The forum, which only lasted about an hour and forty minutes, was announced just one hour ahead of time and was held at 2:30 p.m. when most students have class. Because only a handful of students could attend this meeting, students made plans for second meeting at a more convenient time later that day.

The student-run group "Recognize Us" organized a rally outside of the Chancellor’s house at 6:00 p.m., urging him to take action. Students gathered in Syverud’s driveway holding signs and reciting chants, asking and demanding for justice and proper consequences for Theta Tau and the members complicit in the video.

Due to the urgency of the issue, another forum was held again later that night, but the Chancellor was not in attendance, sparking the hashtag #WheresKent?

It was not until late Wednesday night that the video was released, thanks to The Daily Orange. Posted to Theta Tau’s secret Facebook group, the video shows select members engaging in a “skit” in which they swear to hold hatred in their hearts, use various racial slurs, make sexist, homophobic, and ableist comments, and simulate sex acts on each other and inanimate objects.

While the fraternity has been suspended and an audit of all Greek life at Syracuse is underway, many feel that this is not enough because this is not an isolated incident. Four fraternities this year alone have already been suspended, previous to the reveal of this video, and the overall atmosphere at the university is often hostile towards minorities and those belonging to marginalized groups.

Other instances of this magnitude have occurred before as well, yet nothing concrete was implemented, no real action from the administration was taken.

Students have since held protests and sit-ins, calling for implicit bias training for both students and faculty, proper consequences for the Theta Tau members involved in the video, and a campus where everyone can feel safe.