May 10, 2007 11:07 am US/Eastern
U of D Fraternity Cinco de Mayo Party Under Fire
Costumed Party Goers Offended Latino Group
by Jamie Smith
NEWARK, Del. (CBS3/AP) ―
A Latino student organization at the University of Delaware is expressing outrage over what it says was racist behavior by members of a campus honors fraternity.
The allegations involve photographs from a Cinco de Mayo party posted this week on a student page on Facebook.com. Some photos show students dressed as gardeners wearing work shirts with "Pedro" and "Jose" name tags and a racist slur.
A campus Latino student organization found the images online. Students on the campus said the images are offensive and racist.
"There was a fine line and obviously in having that fine line, it was crossed without a doubt," student Ashley Contreras said.
The university's Campus Alliance de La Raza wants the Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity to expel the party-goers. The party was not sanctioned by the fraternity, which touts itself as fostering leadership qualities. The national fraternity and the university are investigating.
"To know that my peers at the University of Delaware have done this, it was hurtful," La Raza President Jissell Martinez said.
In six apologies posted on La Raza's Web site, students said they didn't realize their costumes would be offensive.
"I just wasn't thinking, I really wasn't thinking, it's not something that reflects my views," Lauren Boroski of Phi Sigma Pi said.
Boroski, who was one of the students that posed for the controversial pictures, faced the same students she offended at a meeting on the campus Wednesday night.
Some photos pictured three students in shirts with the word "Mexico" on the front, and "Spicy," "Full of Tequila" and "Hott" on the backs.
La Raza met with campus members at forum organized by the students at George Read Hall.
When asked where were the rest of the students that were in the pictures, Boroski said, "I mean, they're not here tonight, I'm not really sure why that they're not here, but I'm here."
The honors fraternity condemned the acts of their own members saying it may take action against some of its members.
University President David P. Roselle released a statement that read in part: " … clearly such actions are counter to the values we endorse as a University, specifically the commitment to celebrate the diversity of our culture."
University officials said they do not plan to take action against the students involved in the pictures.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
