Cache Of Racist, Misogynist Emails From A UChicago Frat Leaked

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Feb 3, 2016 8:28PM

Google street view of AEPi's address on South University Avenue in Chicago

Buzzfeed has published a trove of racist and misogynist emails from a University of Chicago frat that show students or former students making offensive comments about Muslim students, women, and Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

The emails, leaked to the online news outlet, paint a troubling picture of the culture at the fraternity, which is not technically a recognized organization at the Hyde Park university but is made up of university students.

The emails, which were sent between AEPi chapter members between 2011 and 2015 to frat brothers and alumni, were provided to Buzzfeed by a member who wished to remain anonymous. The emails show brothers using the n-word, referring to a Muslim woman as a "terrorist," and describing an abandoned lot near the Hyde Park frat as "Palestine," among other disturbing comments. One email from January 2013 details a member's plan to organize a "Marathon Luther King Jr. Day" the point of which would be a marathon of day drinking, eating fried chicken and watching a film parody about the film genre Blaxploitation, according to Buzzfeed.

University officials were, understandably, appalled:

Michele Rasmussen, the dean of students, said, “The language used in these private emails is offensive, and it is not consistent with the University’s values or our strong commitment to ensuring that people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives can thrive on our campus.”

Buzzfeed has the details of even more problematic frat emails, and a vile document written as a joke by residents of of AEPi's frat house with fake rules about how to harass—a.k.a "fuck with"—women:

One of the rules says, “No fatties. No one wants to be or be friends with a fat girl fucker. Do not fuck or fuck with or do anything you can avoid doing with a fatty.”

Another says, “No crazies. Although good in bed, the legitimately insane have no place with a relatively sane man. Every girl is crazy to some degree, we are talking about the truly bat shit insane.”

One rule in particular sums of this fraternity's priorities disappointingly well: "Conscious Cock-blocking is to be regarded as the worst of crimes."

An unnamed brother sort of defends the chapter to Buzzfeed: He said the chapter forbid students from referring to the empty lot near the fraternity as "Palestine," last year, and he added that many of the racist email comments were probably “just drunk brothers saying stupid shit. Deep down inside we’re all good people and sometimes we say stupid shit.”

An AEPi spokesman told Buzzfeed that the culture of the fraternity chapter has changed since these emails were sent.

Updated at 3:20 p.m.: the student president of AEPi has posted an apology on Facebook:

Dear University of Chicago Community,
I'm Josh Benadiva, the president of AEPi.
We are disgusted by the emails sent to the fraternity listhost in past years, and regret that such hate was ever a part of the discourse in AEPi. The current Executive Board is doing everything in its power to investigate and confront the individuals of the fraternity who sent these emails. We whole-heartedly condemn this behavior and reaffirm that there is no place for these hateful and bigoted sentiments in our fraternity.
We can and will continue to do better. We have solicited additional educational resources from the University of Chicago and from our national fraternity organization to improve our educational program and will continue to do so. To our friends who feel hurt, betrayed, or let down, we ask for an opportunity to regain your trust and confidence.
Feel free to message me individually if you have any comments, questions, or really anything.