Latinos mocked at UD party
Fraternity is asked to expel members
By SUMMER HARLOW, The News Journal
Posted Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Members of a University of Delaware honor fraternity who dressed up as Latino gardeners and gangsters and attended a South of the Border-theme party have stirred up outrage and cries of racism on the Newark campus.

Cinco de Mayo party photographs that appeared online this week have prompted the Campus Alliance de La Raza, a Latino student organization, to demand the fraternity expel participants. The apparent off-campus party was not sanctioned by the Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity.

The university, which has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, also is investigating.

The photographs, which appeared on a student's Facebook Web site page, depicted students, some dressed as gardeners wearing work shirts with "Pedro" and "Jose" name tags, and a racist slur scrawled across the back. In formal apologies posted on La Raza's Web site, students said they did not believe their costumes would be offensive, nor were they acting maliciously.

Other photos pictured a trio of the students in red, white and green shirts with the word "Mexico" on the front, and "Spicy," "Full of Tequila" and "Hott" on the backs.

"In no way were these outfits, or these pictures meant to offend anyone," said Jacqui Croteau, one of the participants, in a statement. "I did not fully understand, at the time these pictures were taken, how harmful the idea of dressing in this way could be to a community."

Lauren Boroski, a sophomore, wrote, "I dressed in an offensive costume with a stupid and hurtful saying written on it, and I feel awful knowing that this costume has hurt so many people. What I did was wrong and insulting."

Other students who issued formal apologies were Justin Snow, Jason Weingarten, Nikki Jacobs and Joseph Randall. They did not return calls seeking comment.

Craig de Mariana Aleman, graduate student adviser to La Raza, said that as a Mexican-American, he had to "take a few minutes" after viewing the photos before he could advise the group on how to proceed.

"It hit pretty hard," he said. "It's throwing this message at me that Mexicans are drunk, they indulge in alcohol or are sexually promiscuous. That was equally as hurtful for me as looking at the gardeners."

La Raza and Phi Sigma Pi are conducting a forum at 8 tonight at George Read Hall to discuss the party and allegations of racism.

The "politically incorrect twist" on Cinco de Mayo, as one partygoer called it, is not the first such college student party this year with racist undertones.

In February, at the Jesuit Santa Clara University in California, photos surfaced on the Internet of a similar South of the Border-theme party where students dressed as Latino janitors, gardeners and pregnant teens.

Students, faculty and staff organized a protest march through campus that drew about 200 participants, said university spokeswoman Deepa Arora. Students, who are subject to a code of conduct even when they are off campus, also went through the school's judicial process for dressing up at the party. Arora said she could not comment on whether disciplinary action was taken.

Brian Brady, president of UD's Phi Sigma Pi chapter, said the party was not an organization-sponsored event, and that disciplinary action is being taken against the members who attended the party.

"Both local and national entities of our organization have condemned these actions and do not take them lightly," he wrote in a statement. "We hold 'freedom from prejudice' in extremely high regard, and do not tolerate bigotry or discrimination in any form."

In a statement on the La Raza Web site, he called the actions of the students "unacceptable."

"Embracing diversity, different peoples, different ideas and different cultures are among our highest of ideals. Sadly, a number of our members apparently do no not share these ideals," he said.

On its Web site, the honor fraternity touts itself as fostering leadership qualities, promoting and advancing the welfare of humanity, and fostering nondiscriminatory, fraternal fellowship.

A statement released by the national chapter of Phi Sigma Pi, which also is investigating the incident, said the organization "does not condone discriminatory conduct or behavior. Moreover, this conduct is contrary to our mission."

Jissell Martinez, president of UD's La Raza, said that considering the controversial debate over immigration, she wasn't too surprised that such a party occurred.

"But to find out members of a coed honor fraternity were involved with it, it's disgusting," she said.

She likened the costumes to people who have painted their faces black and dressed as gangsters for other parties she has heard about.

"They're trying to impersonate what they think Latinos are," she said. "It's wrong. You don't see people within the Latino community or the black community throwing white-people parties."

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