Sorority sister suspended after video of her 'outrageous and racist conduct' surfaces online
A sorority sister at the University of Tennessee‘s Alpha Chi Omega chapter was suspended on Thursday after a video surfaced online that showed her using a racial slur.
In the six-second long video that appears to have first been recorded on Snapchat and then reposted to Twitter, a woman identified as Savannah Micillo is asked, “Sav, what do you call black people?” She responds, after exhaling, with the N-word.
Four hours after the tweet was posted, Alpha Chi Omega’s chapter at the University of Tennessee responded on social media, “You’re right. This is outrageous and racist conduct. And we suspended this member this afternoon effective immediately. Our chapter and this entire campus should be able to expect far more from our members.”
Furthermore, the sister’s punishment went far beyond suspension, according to Erin Witt, the director of marketing and communications for Alpha Chi Omega’s national organization.
In a statement provided to Yahoo Lifestyle, Witt shares, “The racist behavior displayed in this video is abhorrent and grotesque. Upon learning of this member’s actions and seeing the outrageous conduct displayed in the video posted yesterday, the leadership of our chapter at the University of Tennessee immediately suspended the member seen in the video. Alpha Chi Omega has since begun the formal process of membership termination. We are committed to being a partner to the University of Tennessee and the entire university community; our members, and their peers across campus, deserve far better than the conduct displayed here.”
The University of Tennessee provided the following statement on the incident.
“Late Thursday afternoon, the university was made aware of a video posted on social media of one of our students using the n-word. The racism displayed in this video does not belong on Rocky Top and does not represent our community’s values of civility and inclusion,” the statement says. “The Dean of Students and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life have been in touch with UT’s Alpha Chi Omega chapter and its national headquarters. Federal law prohibits the university from sharing how the university handles matters with individual students.”
Yahoo Lifestyle was unable to locate Savannah Micillo for comment.
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