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FAST FACTS:

• Controversy starts over Ole Miss “Fight Song”
• Students criticize ban on song
• Criticism prompts suspension from fraternity

dennis.turner@wreg.com


(Oxford, MS 11/18/2009) Two members of an Ole Miss fraternity are suspended from the organization after a sensational video tirade on fellow students and the decision to end the playing of a traditional fight song at the school.

The controversy has been brewing for weeks, and took on shocking new life with a video on You Tube.

You may remember this began with the playing of the song “From Dixie With Love” at football games. It would normally end with the chant of “The South Will Rise Again”, which some saw as supporting segregation.

Now two students have started a new controversy with their blatant response to the ban of that fight song.

“Ok Michael, we’re in the Grove…” says the man in the video, which starts innocently enough as a discussion of the Ole Miss fight song controversy.

It takes only 10 seconds to descend into racism and profanity. “How do you think it’s going to go today if they play “From Dixie With Love”? “I really don’t’ care. F* those N*.”

Now, the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity has suspended two unidentified members for making the video.

Numerous students tell us the person on camera is fraternity rush chairman Michael Hudec.

Whoever it is, it’s got the Oxford campus buzzing. “People are saying like these kids are just drunk fools you know and just shrug off for that,” said student Steven Quinn.

Students may shrug it off, but Ole Miss leaders aren’t. They released a statement saying they’ll, “investigate whether the school’s code of conduct was violated in making and posting the video”.

We couldn’t reach fraternity president Andrew Horner, and couldn’t get anyone to come to the door of the frat house, even though it was quite clear they knew we were there by the rustling of the windows upstairs.

While most at the University of Mississippi seem to consider this a case of two fraternity guys with bad judgment, others wonder if perhaps they’re not working with outside agitators.

There’s no hard evidence to support that claim, but alleged segregationist Richard Barrett has visited campus, and the KKK is said to have threatened a demonstration in Oxford.

That commotion seems to demonstrate some serious intolerance, but many students told us these days most people dismiss racists as a sort of “fringe element”.

“We’re not back in the days like we used to be. I mean it happens, but we have to think about the future. These days everybody’s sayin’ different stuff and you just gotta get over it.” said student Petrell Bourn.

Many praise the fraternity’s leaders for handling this on their own. “I think people are happy the fraternity Phi Tau took action. They went ahead and took this upon themselves before the University had to do anything.” said Quinn.

The other voice in the video remains unidentified, but the fraternity says the men will not be allowed to take part in any fraternity activities pending final action by the organization’s board.