Georgia Tech fraternity under investigation for alleged racial harassment

Students at Georgia Tech during the Aug. 20 silent protest. (Photo courtesy of Chelsi Cocking)

The Phi Delta Theta fraternity at The Georgia Institute of Technology is under investigation after allegedly shouting racial slurs at a black female student.

The student says that on Aug. 11 she was getting into her car after work at around 6:45 p.m. when she saw three white members of the fraternity leaning out of a window, shouting and using racial epithets. “I was by myself. I was intimidated. The strongest feeling was that I wasn’t safe.”

The student, a senior business administration major, tweeted about her experience on Twitter.

“A lot of other people responded (at Georgia Tech) saying, ‘The same thing happened to me,’” she says. “People started to share their stories (and) it became evident that it was a trend on our campus.”

She adds, “There are plenty of black women who have stepped forward and said, ‘I’ve been attacked by Phi Delta Theta as well.’ I know two freshmen; it was their first few weeks on campus and they had a similar instance where they were called the N-word by the same fraternity.”

On Aug. 20, more than 100 black students gathered for a silent protest that lasted for approximately an hour outside the Phi Delta Theta house. Students — most donning Georgia Tech gear — held signs reading, “Who Will Fight For Us?” and “Unsafe, Unsupported, Deceived.” Some covered their mouths with duct tape with racial slurs written on it.

On the day of the protest, the Twitter hashtag, #IAmBGT, which stands for “I Am Black Georgia Tech,” was briefly trending in Atlanta.

The student who reported the alleged harassment incident says she had never felt safer on campus than during the protest.

“It really made me feel supported and it reassured me that the black community at our school is really strong,” she says. “It was probably one of the more empowering moments that I’ve had as a young black woman in general.”

In a press release, the national branch of Phi Delta Theta said they were working with Georgia Tech officials to conduct an investigation into the fraternity.

“Through a preliminary investigation, there is no indication that members of the Phi Delta Theta chapter at Georgia Tech were involved in such an act,” the statement reads. “Any behavior that contradicts the spirit of inclusion and sensitivity to multicultural issues would be in violation of (our) principles and anyone determined to be involved will be held accountable.”

John Stein, vice president of student life and dean of students at Georgia Tech, tells USA TODAY College that the university is taking this matter very seriously — the Office of Student Integrity began an investigation immediately upon receiving the student’s report.

Maragh Girvan, a junior at Georgia Tech studying economics and international affairs, says this instance brought to the forefront the issue of being a minority at a PWI, or predominantly white university.

Georgia Tech students during the Aug. 20 silent protest. (Photo courtesy of Chelsi Cocking)

“When you are a black student at a PWI, you’re definitely very aware of your race all the time. You kind of feel ‘othered,’” says Girvan.

Stein says Georgia Tech administration has met with students about these issues and is working on making the campus more inclusive and including establishing a task force focused on black students’ experience.

Girvan adds that an ethics commission for all fraternities would increase accountability and help curb some of these issues.

“There’s probably a lot of people where maybe, if they’ve heard something negative or racially charged or a racist statement, maybe they don’t say anything because they feel pressure,” Girvan says. “There needs to be some kind of system where those students go forth, maybe anonymously, …and speak on those problems without fear of being persecuted by their fraternity brothers or sorority sisters.”