Updated: OU president David Boren released a statement via his spokesperson Corbin Wallace regarding SAE national president Brad Cohen's Facebook post criticizing Boren's statements made last Friday.
"Instead of trying to split hairs, it is my hope that he will deal seriously with this moral issue," Boren said in an email statement.
This story was updated on Monday March 30 at 6:22p.m.
Cohen posted a Facebook status criticizing comments made about national organization by OU President David Boren during a press conference Friday.
In the post, Cohen noted that there is a difference between formally learning a racist chant and hearing and repeating such a chant. He called Boren's statements during the press conference "inflammatory and self serving."
Read the full text of Cohen's Facebook post, which has since been deleted, here:
I’m amazed that a University President such as Boren of OU does not know the difference between “learned” and “heard.”
If he truly believes these biggots [sic] at our former chapter at his University “learned” or were taught that vile song as part of the curriculum at one of the greatest learning experiences for young college men, the Mosely Leadership School, vs heard it from a handful of equally bigoted idiots outside of the extensive leadership curriculum, then he should not hold the position that he does as President of a major University.
His statements were inflammatory and self serving. At the end of the day, it was his students that chose to hear a vile chant, take it back to their university and make it part of their culture in their chapter.
Disgusting, one sided and biased and I’m done being silent.
After spending the weekend with a retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a retired Army General, the Director for the U.S. patent office and a retired President of Marriott International, most of whom attended the Mosely Leadership School as undergraduates and all learned valuable lessons from it as have tens of thousands of members over its 80 year history, I’m more convinced than ever that SAE builds character, it leads based on its strong values and principles of the True Gentlemen and has an amazing membership that has gone on to contribute enormously to society.
Like any organization, government, university or business, bad apples exist. How you deal with those bad apples is what counts.
We showed clearly and a lot faster than Oklahoma University did, we mean what we say, by closing the chapter within hours of seeing the disgusting video and bringing charges against all members for expulsion.
SAE is not the largest and one of the oldest Fraternities because it’s a racist organization. It is because of its values and its ability to change and adapt over the past 159 years.
A racist organization doesn’t elect a Jewish immigrant from South Africa as its national President. I’m proud to lead it, I’m proud of of our members and I’m proud of the many bold and proactive changes we’ve made in the past year. As our executive director has clearly stated, if any chapter uses this vile chant, they too will be dealt with harshly and swiftly.
