Editor's note: This story includes mentions of racist and homophobic language and includes a post on X that contains a racial slur. This story was updated at 2:51 p.m. to include clarity from IFC on diversity trainings in fraternities.
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A member of OU’s chapter of Kappa Sigma was removed from the fraternity after yelling racist and homophobic language with two other men at people passing by the fraternity house on April 20, the day of OU’s spring game.
Ryan Broyles, who is a former OU football player and co-owner of The Porch, posted on X Thursday morning saying he walked by OU’s chapter of Kappa Sigma, located at the corner of College Avenue and Hoover Street in OU’s South Greek area, with his sons when he said he heard people yelling a racial slur toward him from inside the fraternity house.
This must be shared:2 weeks ago, walking by KAPPA SIG on campus at the University of Oklahoma. I hear the word “Nigger” being yelled out a window repeatedly towards me. I paused, dumbfounded, hurt but not surprised. My kids were with me. It’s 2024, parents, do better.
— Ryan Broyles (@RyanBroyles) May 9, 2024
In both Broyles’ social media posts and comments to the Daily, he did not describe any homophobic language being used in the incident.
Broyles posted a second time minutes later and listed three men’s names, saying he had received word they were the ones responsible. Broyles’ post did not make clear how he confirmed the identities, and he declined to clarify that specifically to the Daily when contacted for an interview shortly after posting his messages on social media.
In a reply to his post, Broyles responded to a question of how he verified the names, writing online, “We have facts. I have lawyers.”
OU Daily has learned at least two of the individuals Broyles identified are current OU students first via confirmation by OU’s Office of the Registrar and later via an official statement from the university. The Daily has reached out to the individuals Broyles named online but has not received any responses before publication of this story. The Daily also reached out to the fraternity’s president — who is not among those Broyles named online — and also did not receive a response before publication of this story.
In response to an inquiry from the Daily sent to the fraternity via Instagram direct message, OU’s chapter of Kappa Sigma wrote its leaders were instructed to refer to OU and Kappa Sigma Fraternity officials for any statement on the matter.
OU Daily is not naming the accused individuals, including the removed Kappa Sigma member, until independently verifying the men’s identities and the specific actions of each individual.
Ryan Broyles, local business owner and former OU football player, speaks at the George Floyd candlelight memorial on June 11, 2020.
“I will not give this word power over me but I’ll also not let this go lightly,” read one post from Broyles, who rose from Norman High to OU stardom to a brief NFL career before returning to his hometown as an investor and real estate developer.
Broyles told OU Daily Thursday morning he is not going to provide further comment on the matter other than that he wants “justice” and will not stop until people know or are aware of the situation. Broyles’ first tweet now has over 237,000 views.
In a third X post on Thursday afternoon, Broyles said an internal investigation had already been conducted, fault was admitted and over 15 people witnessed the incident.
I won’t speak on it anymore. There has already been an internal investigation. The names I mentioned have already been identified. There are over 15 witnesses There has been fault admitted. I simply posted to shed light on the current situation. We can do better!
— Ryan Broyles (@RyanBroyles) May 9, 2024
Investigation of the April 20 incident
OU wrote to the Daily in a statement Thursday afternoon that the university was alerted to the incident on April 20, which involved two students and an additional person yelling “curses and sexually and racially offensive language” out of a fraternity’s window while several groups of people were passing by.
OU condemned the behavior in a statement, adding it does not reflect the values the institution upholds. OU wrote Kappa Sigma took “decisive” action and removed the member involved in the incident.
“This swift response underscores the organization and our university’s commitment to maintaining a campus environment that is inclusive, respectful, and safe for all,” OU wrote. “We recognize the vital role of education, and we remain steadfast in our dedication to fostering a culture of respect, integrity, and accountability among our student body and broader community.”
OU Interfraternity Council Vice President of Public Affairs Jack Paylor wrote in a statement to OU Daily that IFC supports Kappa Sigma’s decision to remove the member who was involved.
“We support the chapter’s decision to remove the former member who was involved,” Paylor wrote. “As an organization, we do not condone the actions and behaviors of the incident.”
Paylor told OU Daily it is IFC’s understanding that only one individual, the now-former member of Kappa Sigma, was part of any IFC community. Any other potential campus affiliations of the second man OU has confirmed to be a student are unclear at the time this story was published.
Ryan Barnett, president of OU IFC, told OU Daily in a text Thursday afternoon that the incident has been formally handled by OU’s Office of Student Life and Office of Student Conduct.
“The alleged incident and the content spoken to the gentlemen and his family were not becoming of members of this chapter and both our external and internal culture …,” Barnett said. “Racism and homophobic language like those referenced in the incident is not what we’re about.”
On Thursday morning, in addition to reaching out to OU’s Marketing and Communications team, the Daily also contacted OU’s Division of Student Affairs, OU’s Athletic Department, OU Student Government Association President Caden Glasscock, OU’s Black Student Association and Black Emergency Response Team, also known as BERT. Beyond the official statement from OU’s Marketing and Communications team, only BERT responded, writing that the organization is looking into the incident.
In a statement to OU Daily, the national Kappa Sigma Fraternity’s Vice President of External Affairs Leo J. Brown IV wrote the organization does not tolerate acts of racial discrimination, and such behavior violates its code of conduct.
“Our Chapter will take action regarding the membership of anyone involved in the incident,” Brown wrote. “Any member displaying such vile acts will be expelled from the Fraternity.”
Kappa Sigma, founded at the University of Virginia in 1869, is the largest college social fraternity in the world, according to its national website. The website reads that the fraternity is focused on fellowship, leadership, scholarship and service and is a values-based men’s fraternity.
According to OU’s Student Life page on Thursday morning, IFC lists Kappa Sigma as an active chapter in good standing with the university. In 2022, Kappa Sigma received a hazing policy violation, for which all sanctions have been fulfilled, and its second strike on an alcohol policy violation that expires November 2025.
In 2009, the national Kappa Sigma Fraternity suspended the OU chapter for “rule violations.” The Norman Transcript reported the chapter had been under probation for alcohol violations at the time of the suspension, but the national fraternity did not specifically cite any violations that influenced its decision.
OU Daily confirmed in 2009 that OU did not know the specific reason that the chapter was shut down, but a press secretary to then-President David Boren said that “repeat offenses” were believed to have led the national fraternity to suspend the chapter’s charter. The chapter returned to campus in 2011.
According to documents the Daily obtained through open records, three fraternities were on probation and one was under investigation as of fall 2023. Kappa Sigma wasn’t among those.
Timeline of recent racist incidents at OU
This incident is not the first in recent years for which OU has gained campus, city or national attention.
In 2015, a video of OU’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon singing a racist chant went viral. The video showed men on a charter bus singing a chant that referenced lynching and indicated that Black students, who were referred to with a racial slur, could not “sign” with the fraternity. The fraternity was later disbanded from campus, and two students who were identified in the video withdrew from the university under threat of being expelled.
According to reporting by the Daily in 2015, since the chant could be viewed as creating an intimidating and hostile environment, the university had more space to pursue individual punishment.
Following the SAE incident, Boren announced the university would create a new role, vice president of university community, to handle diversity positions at the university and new diversity and sensitivity training would be implemented. The university community office later became the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
The April 20 incident comes after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in December calling for a review of diversity, equity and inclusion in Oklahoma higher education, a move that has led OU and other higher education institutions in the state to reevaluate and realign offices and programs previously focused in any way on DEI.
The executive order carves out exceptions for student organizations, events hosted by those organizations, academic course instruction and research, among others.
In 2019, a member of OU’s chapter of Tri Delta was removed from the sorority after filming another OU student in blackface and using a racial slur.
A week after the Tri Delta incident, a man was spotted walking around Campus Corner in blackface wearing an OU hat. The man was never publicly identified.
In 2020, OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication professor Peter Gade used a racial slur in class, comparing the use of the slur to the phrase “OK, boomer.” A few days after he used the slur, Gade stepped down from teaching the journalism capstone class for the remainder of the semester and apologized for his use of the slur. Gade underwent required diversity, equity and inclusion training and continued his other responsibilities in Gaylord College, including serving as director of graduate studies, until his retirement in July 2022.
Another OU professor, two weeks after the Gade incident, used a racial slur repeatedly while reading from a historical document in a class covering history from the Civil War to present day. Kathleen Brosnan, a faculty member in OU’s history department, apologized to her class in a Canvas message one day after her use of the slur became public.
In August 2022, Sooners receivers coach Cale Gundy resigned after he picked up a player's iPad and read from it, saying a "hurtful" word.
“Last week, during a film session, I instructed my players to take notes,” Gundy wrote at the time. “I noticed a player was distracted and picked up his iPad and read aloud the words that were written on his screen. The words displayed had nothing to do with football. One particular word that I should never — under any circumstance — have uttered was displayed on that screen. In the moment, I did not even realize what I was reading and, as soon as I did, I was horrified."
In January 2023, OU English professor Karen Feiner used a racial slur while reading a portion of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in a first-year English composition course.
DEI changes at OU
Before Stitt’s executive order, OU mandated that all greek organizations attend three education sessions over topics such as consent; hazing education and reporting; and alcohol and other drugs training.
As a result of the executive order, OU renamed its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the Division of Access and Opportunity. OU’s Division of Student Affairs announced April 24 that its Gender + Equality Center will be closing as a result of the executive order, and the university would create an office focused on advocacy and education to retain some of the GEC’s operations, such as OU Advocates.
Due to the order, the university cannot mandate DEI training unless necessary for compliance with state or federal laws, rules or regulations or for retaining accreditation or licensure. Trainings can be offered voluntarily, according to OU's website which answers questions about the order.
Paylor said diversity trainings are mandated by fraternities national chapters, typically for freshmen pledging to the fraternity.
OU Daily asked the university to clarify how the executive order would impact Greek organizations, which have previously needed to undergo diversity or educational training sessions as part of their Standards of Excellence packets. The Standards of Excellence process, which was created in 2010 to renew goals and initiatives in OU Greek Life to focus on safe, meaningful and transformative membership experiences, is required for all Greek organizations at OU and are reviewed by staff in OU’s Office of Student Life.
The university did not answer that question in its response issued late Thursday.
OU Daily requested diversity data for IFC fraternities for the fall 2021, 2022 and 2023 semesters and received two data sets without years specified.
In the most recent set of data, 72.88% of OU’s IFC in total identified as white. In that data set, 68.5% of Kappa Sigma identified as white and just over 5% identified as multiracial. According to this data set, Kappa Sigma had no members who identify as Black.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ismael Lele and Taylor Jones. Mary Ann Livingood and Avery Avery copy edited this story.
