LSU Fraternity In Trouble After Offensive Sign References 1970 Kent State Tragedy
A Louisiana State University fraternity could be facing disciplinary action after hanging an insensitive sign over their door before LSUs football game against Kent State this weekend.
LSU fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon is receiving national attention after hanging a sign above their door that read, "Getting Massacred Is Nothing New To Kent St," ahead of the Tigers' game against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The sign references the 1970 incident at Kent State during which four students were killed and nine wounded after the Ohio National Guard opened fire on around 2,000 student anti-war protestors.
After receiving citizen complaints, police asked Delta Kappa Epsilon to remove their sign, prompting the fraternity to replace their offensive message with a new banner that reads, "We would like to apologize to Kent State for our inappropriate sign".
The LSU DKE chapter then issued this apology:
We, the men of Zeta Zeta, formally apologize to your entire community for the banner that was hung from our house this past weekend. The sign was inappropriate and should never have been hung in the first place. We hope that the Kent State community can forgive our action and accept our sincere apologies. We apologize not only to the community of Kent State, but also to those who were personally affected by this tragedy in American history. Hanging the banner was a poor attempt at humor. We, as young college students, did not grasp the full scoop of the tragedy and it's long lasting effects. This is not how we would like to represent our fraternity as well as our school, and we certainly hope we did not put a negative spin on your school's visit to Louisiana State University.
Kent State Executive director of university media relations, Eric Mansfield, released the following statement in response to the sign:
May 4, 1970 was a watershed moment for the country and especially the Kent State family. We lost four students that day while nine others were wounded and countless others were changed forever. We take offense to the actions of a few people last night who created an inappropriate sign and distracted from the athletic contest on the field.
Our new May 4 Visitor Center, which opened less than a year ago, is another way in which Kent State is inviting the country to gain perspective on what happened 43 years ago and apply its meaning to the future.
We would invite those who created the sign to visit our campus to visit the May 4 Visitor Center and learn more about the event which forever changed Kent State and America.
The fraternity is not facing any criminal charges, but LSU System President F King Alexander says the fraternity could face disciplinary action.
[Via Louisiana Radio Network]