U Of C Frat In Trouble For "Conquistadors And Aztec Hoes" Party

By Samantha Abernethy in News on May 29, 2012 9:45PM

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Two University of Chicago fraternities are in hot water for two separate actions deemed offensive and ignorant by the school's Latino students, and the dean isn't happy. We must say this behavior is disappointing and unexpected, coming from a school known for having the nerdiest students in town. The Sun-Times writes:

A student reported to campus authorities that on May 8, pledges at the Alpha Delta Phi house were seen mowing the lawn outside the frat at 5747 S. University while wearing “oversized sombreros,” as a stereo system played Latin music, according to the Chicago Maroon, the student newspaper.

Around May 21, the Delta Upsilon fraternity, at 5714 S. Woodlawn, posted on Facebook about a planned party with a theme of “Conquistadors and Aztec Hoes.” Partiers were encouraged to bring “an unlimited need to conquer, spread disease and enslave natives,” said the May 25 issue of the Maroon.

According to U of C's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Alpha Delta Phi "has not admitted any wrongdoing and has declined requests for an apology." With the campus still reeling from the Alpha Delta Phi incident, Delta Upsilon was quickly taken to task. They realized their mistake and changed the event title within the hour, but the damage was already done, and according to The Maroon, "Latin students believed that the apology was insincere and dismissive." Before the conquistadors title, the Facebook event had previous been "DU Presents: Safari Bros and Jungle Cats" and "DU Presents: Hats."

“In the past few weeks, the University has received two separate reports of incidents in our student community that invoked offensive stereotypes of members of particular racial, ethnic and gender groups,” Kimberly Goff-Crews, the university’s dean of students told the Sun-Times. “I am troubled by the impact such incidents have on the wider student community, as they conflict with our values as an intellectual community and harm our ability to fulfill our educational mission.”