In a letter to LSU President F. King Alexander late Wednesday, the members of Delta Kappa Epsilon apologized for the banner that hung in front of their house last Saturday and said they would refrain indefinitely from hanging any other signs.
The banner, which mocked openly gay NFL player Michael Sam, drew criticism on social media, from Associate Vice Chancellor & Dean of Students K.C. White and Associate Dean of Students & Director of Greek Life Angela Guillory.
White told The Daily Reveille on Tuesday DKE did not violate the Student Code of Conduct, but was “disappointed” at the sign.
After holding an open dialogue with the chapter on Monday night, Guillory told The Daily Reveille she felt the brothers, “knew the banner crossed the line.”
Below is a full transcript of the letter sent from DKE to Alexander:
“Dear Dr. Alexander,
On behalf of the entire Zeta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), we would like to apologize for the negative light that has been shed on LSU as a result of the banner hung in front of the DKE house on Saturday, September 6th.
It was never any member of our fraternity’s intention to offend others. Zeta Zeta is a chapter full of rich traditions, one of them being our game day banners. Though satire is sometimes the goal, crossing the line and causing offense to others is never the intent. We truly apologize to you and all other members of the LSU community who have had to deal with the effects of this banner.
We hosted Angela Guillory at the DKE house Monday evening with an open dialogue regarding how to move forward from this situation. We feel the conversation was very productive and we appreciate Angela taking the time to talk to us as a chapter.
We will refrain from putting signs up in front of the DKE house indefinitely and will abide by the pre-approval requirement of all signs by our alumni advisors for the remainder of the semester. We recognize this action, when coupled with our fraternity’s recent history, has created an environment where all of our actions are subject to scrutiny. We’re willing to live under such scrutiny and are committed to working with you, Dr. K.C. White and Angela Guillory to earn back your trust and support.
Thank you for your leadership of our university and your consideration of this apology.
Sincerely,
The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon”