Friday, March 27th 2015, 7:59 pm
The investigation into a fraternity's racist chant has concluded.
University of Oklahoma's President David Boren announced the findings Friday on campus.
He gave a speech that closed this phase, but opened another.
In total, 25 SAE members have been punished, the chapter was closed and the university plans to have an extensive focus on racism.
These were all the result of three unforgettable weeks.
For nearly all of March the exclusive chant of a few was met with the inclusive chants of hundreds. Songs of serenity were responded to with the surrendering of sorrow.
"All the apologies in the world won't change what I have done. So I'll spend the rest of my life trying to be the person who heals and be the person who brings all races together. That is what I hope and pray comes out of this," said Levi Pettit, former SAE Member
Instant emotion paired words like racists and bigots with the words Sigma Alpha and Epsilon.
But those have since been replaced with community, healing and change.
"You still have people feeling those emotions that hurt , the anger, the sorrow, the sadness the embarrassment all those things are there, but I think what needs to be focused on more is that we are trying to heal as a community and trying to move forward," said Christopher Flix, an OU student organization leader.
And while yes, the chant was brought to OU four years ago after an SAE leadership cruise and the fraternity has been shut down. This became a situation where forgiveness was optional, but not forgetting it might just be an American responsibility.
3/27/2015 Related Story: OU President Boren Announces Findings Of SAE Racist Chant Investigation
"This is not the end, this is just the beginning, the beginning of our efforts to build the kind of community to learn the lessons we need to learn and to share those lessons with the rest of the country," said Boren.
The national SAE organization confirmed the OU students learned the chant on the cruise.
3/27/2015 Related Story:National SAE Representatives Respond To OU Findings
But it does not feel the chant is widespread and it will continue its investigation.
March 27th, 2015
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