As of noon Thursday, there had been no campus-wide statement released by Syracuse University after The Daily Orange on Wednesday night published a recording of a video showing people in the Theta Tau fraternity house engaging in what Chancellor Kent Syverud has called “extremely racist” behavior.

Laura Williams-Sanders, director of SU’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, declined to comment on the Theta Tau videos on Thursday morning. She said she was busy supporting students.

Theta Tau, a professional engineering fraternity, was suspended Wednesday morning after the university confirmed it was involved in the creation of online videos showing fraternity members engaging in behaviors that were “extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and hostile to people with disabilities,” Syverud said in a campus-wide email Wednesday.

Students on Wednesday evening organized a protest outside of Syverud’s house to call on the university to release the videos. Some students on Twitter started posting the hashtag “#WheresTheVideoSU.” That was a few hours before The D.O. released a recording of one of the videos.

Chief Bobby Maldonado on Wednesday afternoon said the Department of Public Safety has assembled detectives from its investigative team and is in the process of interviewing students who are believed to be involved in the videos.
This is a developing story. Expect additional updates and reporting.

— Asst. News Editor Jordan Muller contributed reporting to this article.

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MORE COVERAGE: 

• Syverud: SU will start ‘top to bottom’ review of all Greek life policies, activities and culture
• Student Association leaders call for SU Greek life audit in wake of Theta Tau suspension
• Students protest Theta Tau videos outside Chancellor Kent Syverud’s house
• Gallery: SU campus community reacts to Theta Tau videos

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Published on April 19, 2018 at 11:59 am

Contact Sam: sfogozal@syr.edu | @SamOgozalek