Georgia State fraternity suspended for blackface incident

<p>Georgia State University officials have suspended a fraternity criticized after two of its members appeared at a party wearing blackface.</p><p>The Senate Committee on Student Discipline ruled on Wednesday that the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity violated the school's code of conduct for students at the Jan. 24 party. The hearing stemmed from a complaint by members of Phi Beta Sigma, a historically black fraternity.</p><p>The school's dean of students agreed with the committee's findings and sanctions, which included the fraternity's charter will be suspended until Dec. 19, according to a statement from school officials.</p><p>Alcohol will be prohibited until May 2005 or at least one semester after the fraternity's charter is renewed.</p><p>The fraternity also must apologize in writing to members of Phi Beta Sigma and the university community and participate in a community service activity of the black fraternity's choice.</p><p>The fraternity also must participate in workshops on a regular basis to educate its members on school policies on discriminatory harassment and alcohol, the statement said.</p><p>The student committee found that having fraternity members appear in blackface "amounted to fighting words" as defined by the student code of conduct and that fraternity leaders should have made sure the organization's members "understood the difference between appropriate costumes and crude or offensive costumes" in the hip-hop theme party, the statement said.</p><p>The committee also said the fraternity violated the student codes by failing to notify their adviser of the party and failed to properly check ages of attendees, the statement said.</p><p>Pi Kappa Alpha chapter president Dan Forrester previously said the fraternity apologized for the incident a few days after the party.</p><p>The fraternity also suspended the two members, who already have faced hearings with the university. Officials have declined to release the outcome of those hearings, saying federal student privacy laws prevent them from doing so.</p>