Photo by Senordesupremo/Wikipedia Commons.

Following the leak of offensive, sexist and racist emails that allegedly show members of an unofficial American University fraternity discussing a rape, hundreds of people have signed a petition calling for he expulsions of the students involved.

In censored emails, sent from an anonymous address and posted on the Tumblr site Fratergate AU, people allegedly from a “brotherhood” known as Epsilon Iota discuss the alleged slapping of a woman, routinely describe women as “bitches,” seek drugs, use racial slurs, and strategize about how to make women feel comfortable at their parties, despite an alleged sexual assault. The group lost “national and university recognition 13 years ago, in 2001,” according to AU.

“AU students who contributed to those emails (especially those discussing illegal activities, trivializing sexual assault, and using misogynist, sexist, racist, and homophobic language) should not be students at this university,” a petition signed by 1,167 people reads. “By perpetrating these heinous acts, they have proven themselves unworthy of being members of our community. If the university cannot legally expel these individuals, there should be consequences and measures taken against them to ensure the safety of our students, and the University needs to improve its preventative measures and the way it address sexual assault and violence. AU cannot be a bystander. It has an ability and thus a responsibility to address this issue and make the school a safe place.”

Neil Kerwin, AU’s president, said in a memo Monday he’s “determined that we use this disturbing situation as an opportunity to reinforce and uphold the values and standards of this university,” and pledged a review.

What AU is doing
I assure you that the university is taking the information contained in the emails very seriously. We are taking swift and deliberate action to investigate every one of the alleged behaviors and will apply our student conduct code to its fullest extent.

In addition, we are working closely with appropriate law enforcement agencies on any potential criminal activities that are found.

We will communicate as circumstances warrant, and we will continue to promote the highest level of awareness on our campus about student conduct, the behaviors identified in the emails, and the role and responsibilities of fraternities and sororities in our community.

What AU cannot do
Many in our campus community are also outraged by the alleged behaviors and are calling for specific actions and a high level of transparency by the university. However, the university is bound by regulations and statutes regarding the disclosure of names and disciplinary and other actions taken with students and with law enforcement.

We will be as transparent as we can be, but we will not jeopardize due process and the rights of individual privacy. We ask you to understand and respect the university’s governance and legal responsibilities.

The petition, started by a group call No More Silence, calls for the suspension of students suspected in the emails and the eventual expulsion of those involved. Longterm demands include the hiring of a full-time Survivors Advocate and addition “sexual assault prevention/bystander training for all of social and professional Greek life on a semesterly basis.”

Meanwhile, the people behind Fratergate AU say they are considering releasing more documents, but have concerns that they will lead to a “witch hunt.”

“Our worry is that releasing these other documents will be unproductive and put more people at risk,” a note on the site says. “On that note, we would like to publicize that we are refusing to cooperate with Jezebel because they released the uncensored documents. The brothers with visible contact information in the documents are receiving death threats. One has allegedly become suicidal.”

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