Cornell University has placed the Sigma Pi fraternity on interim suspension pending an investigation of a racial incident. According to police, people on the roof of the fraternity house threw bottles and other objects and taunted a group of Black students who were walking by the house with racial insults. A fraternity spokesperson said that it had identified one perpetrator and that the person was not a member of the fraternity. One of the Black students told police that it was difficult to determine how many people were involved but she added that other people on the roof appeared to be encouraging the behavior and did nothing to stop it.
Susan H. Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, issued a statement which read:
“There is no place for this kind of behavior at Cornell University; we celebrate our diversity and expect all our members to respect one another. My colleagues and I regret that this happened at all, and call on every Cornellian to support each other and most especially the members of our community most affected by this incident. Once we have completed a review of the incident, including who was involved, appropriate action will be taken and we will notify the community when that happens.”
