Similar OU SAE Chant Heard At Another University

<p>The apologies from the two former OU students for their roles in the racist chant have raised even more questions.</p>

Wednesday, March 11th 2015, 8:07 pm

By: News 9


The apologies from the two former OU students for their roles in the racist chant have raised even more questions.

One of the students admitted they were taught the chant that got them expelled.

News 9's Justin Dougherty was live in Norman with more on the history of the chant.

The SAE board admitted the chant came to OU nearly four years ago. But others know this tradition spans much farther and for much longer.

Back in 1973, Nancy Olson was a freshman at Angelo State University in Texas. One night at a fraternity party she witnessed what she took as a tradition.

“When I hear that I was just sickened,” said Olson.

What she heard was a chant of fraternity members saying, "There will never be a [blank] in Lambda Chi. Then continued to say, "Though our maid may be his mother, he will never be my brother."

“It has always stuck in my mind, because it's just a sing-song sound and I've just never forgotten it,” said Olson.

And while the chant was still in Nancy's mind, she never actually heard it again until 40 years later.

The same tune and nearly the same lyrics as the OU SAE chant.

“On the one hand I know they're not bad guys, I don't think they are. But it's 41 years later now, and I would have thought they wouldn't be singing that anymore.”

But they were, and Nancy wanted to make sure OU's SAE chapter is not singled out.

“I wanted it known that it wasn't just that fraternity, it's other ones.”

So, just how did the song enter this SAE home?

The SAE Board of Trustees have released a statement of its own on the chant saying in part, "a horrible cancer entered into the OU chapter 3-4 years ago and was not immediately and totally stopped. It should have been. We are sincerely remorseful and would ask for your forgiveness."

Nancy knows this problem should disappear, no matter the school or fraternity.

“I don't think they're gearing up to go lynch people I think it's a “fire up” song and I think it's an old one.”

The national SAE chapter has also stated it was imported to close this chapter because of its culture.

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