(Graphic Illustration by Malia Berry | The Collegian)
Editor’s note: This is an ongoing breaking news story. There will be updates provided as they become available.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include a statement released by Colorado State University leadership, a statement posted to Lambda Chi Alpha’s Instagram page and a joint statement from Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Vice President for Student Affairs Office provided to The Collegian on Sept. 23.
Content warning: This article contains mentions of racism and blackface along with imagery and video that may be offensive to some viewers. All imagery and video was provided by a source.
The Colorado State University chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was reported to university officials Thursday morning for allegedly displaying a large flag featuring Uncle Sam painted with what appeared to be blackface.
Corey Valentine, a CSU student, first observed the flag at 11:58 p.m., taking several photos and videos in the process. He later returned to the fraternity house to take additional photos and videos.
“I drove around multiple times and was just like, ‘This can’t be up — this can’t be real,’” Valentine said.
Valentine then filed an incident of bias report with the university around 2:30 a.m. and received a follow-up email from a spokesperson around 8 a.m. Valentine returned to the entrance of the house at around 5 a.m. to find the flag removed.
Valentine also posted his findings to the social media site YikYak, where doubts about the authenticity of the photos quickly circulated. After posting the photos to his personal Instagram account, Valentine and another student, Matthew Bishop, met with members from the Black/African American Cultural Center, The Collegian and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
FSL was unavailable to provide a comment at the time of publishing.
The Collegian reached out to a university spokesperson for a comment following Valentine’s initial report.
The following statement was provided by a university spokesperson just after 8 p.m. Thursday.
“CSU has been made aware of the situation and is gathering information,” the statement reads. “The university stands strong as an inclusive space for all students and upholds the values represented by CSU’s Principles of Community.”
United Men of Color, a student organization linked with B/AACC, issued a statement condemning Lambda Chi Alpha.
“UMC has an unwavering commitment to creating safe spaces for all students on campus, and we will not be a partner in the silence that occurs when blatant racist attacks occur,” the statement reads.
Africans United and United Women of Color also released public statements.
“On behalf of the Africans United board, we unequivocally denounce the actions of Lambda Chi,” the Africans United statement reads. “Such behavior is entirely unacceptable and does not align with our values.”
A statement regarding the incident signed by CSU President Amy Parsons, Provost and Executive Vice President Marion Underwood, Vice President for Student Affairs Blanche Hughes and Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Kauline Cipriani was released on the official CSU Instagram at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6.
The statement reads:
“CSU has received reports about a situation where a fraternity allegedly displayed a racially insensitive banner. CSU takes this incident very seriously.
“The university reviews all reported incidents and is currently working to gather facts and fully understand what happened.
“Regardless of how this situation occurred, it has resulted in real harm and pain to our students, staff and community. Students and members of the CSU community affected can seek support.
“While the facts are not yet clear, this is an opportunity for us to reiterate our values. Racism in any form is unacceptable, abhorrent and inconsistent with CSU’s Principles of Community.
“All of us share the responsibility across our community to build a place where everyone feels honored and safe. To do this, we must live our values.
“Rams take care of Rams.”
Valentine and Bishop said that after meeting and communicating with the various CSU offices, they returned to the fraternity house to see if anything had changed. Upon arrival, there was no poster visible, but Valentine and Bishop were reportedly approached and recorded, and members of the frat allegedly shouted slurs at them from their windows.
The fraternity members in the video repeatedly threatened legal action against Valentine and Bishop, claiming they trespassed and illegally filmed fraternity property. Members also accused Valentine of stealing the poster in question.
A Lambda Chi spokesperson referred The Collegian to the fraternity’s national chapter for comment. At the time of publishing, a comment was unable to be provided outside of business hours.
Around 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, Lambda Chi Alpha posted a statement to their Instagram page.
The statement reads:
“We wish to acknowledge the recent events. The circulating images taken of the recruitment banner are not representative of the banner that was painted. Which has been included in this post. It appears that due to rain and backlighting, the banner as a whole took on an augmented hue. We apologize for the strain that this has left on the CSU and Fort Collins community.
“Lambda Chi Alpha Gamma Pi Zeta at Colorado State University continues to support diversity and inclusion in all aspects within the community. We regret that any members of the community felt otherwise. We condemn racism, any kind of discrimination or prejudice. We will continue to strive to be a Chapter where all individuals feel accepted and included.”
Also on Friday, an anonymous YikYak post was made demonstrating an experiment testing the same kind of paint and banner material Lambda Chi Alpha used to make the poster. In the video, the material is dampened and put under similar lighting to mimic the conditions post-rainstorm on Sept. 5.
According to university policy on incidents of bias reporting, Valentine’s report will likely move to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for further review.
On September 23, The Collegian received a joint statement from FSL and the Vice President for Student Affairs Office with a quote from Gamma Pi Zeta, CSU’s chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha.
“Lambda Chi Alpha apologizes for the strain that this had on the CSU and Fort Collins community,” Gamma Pi Zeta’s statement reads. “We are committed to making sure that Lambda Chi Alpha supports diversity and inclusion within all aspects of the community. With the open communications we have been able to have with (Valentine), we have been able to work through this situation and come to an understanding together.”
The statement also included a quote from Valentine.
“In my conversations with the president of Lambda Chi Alpha, Jace (Hurnblad), I have recognized that the fraternity themselves did not intentionally create a banner to portray blackface,” Valentine said. “With our discussions, procedures and open communication, they were able to recognize the unintended harms done while also coming to an understanding between all parties.”
Further, the statement commends students for speaking up about the incident and for the open communication throughout the investigation process, and it provided a closing statement from FSL.
FSL “reaffirms their commitment to and belief in engaging with all of our fraternity and sorority members to address racism and provide ongoing education to create inclusive communities,” the statement reads.
Updates will be provided as they become available.
Students and members of the CSU community affected can seek support through Student Support Resources or the Employee Assistance Program.
Reach Sam Hutton and Aubree Miller at news@collegian.com or on Instagram at @sam_hut14 and @aubree.miller07.