LSU Fraternity Apologizes for Offensive Kent State 'Massacre' Sign
A Louisiana State University fraternity is apologizing after a sign they made to bash their rivals, Kent State, went too far.
"Getting MASSACRED Is Nothing NEW TO KENT ST.," the offensive sign said, alluding to the 1970 Kent State massacre, in which four students were killed by the Ohio National Guard during a war protest.
The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity hung the sign outside of the entrance of their building on Sept. 14 hours before a LSU vs. Kent State game. Soon, an image of the sign spread amongst both LSU and Kent State members, sparking outrage.
"I'm a student at Kent State and in a fraternity. This is disgraceful, insulting and in poor taste," one fan wrote on the Facebook page of KTVE's Baton Rouge affiliate NBC33.
On Saturday, someone contacted the LSU Police Department, and police officers went to the fraternity house. After officers asked the fraternity brothers to remove the sign, they complied.
On Sunday, Eric Mansfield, director of media relations at Kent State released an official statement regarding the incident.
"May 4, 1970, was a watershed moment for the country and especially the Kent State family. We lost four students that day while nine others were wounded and countless others were changed forever. We take offense to the actions of a few people last night who created an inappropriate sign and distracted from the athletic contest on the field. Our new May 4 Visitor Center, which opened less than a year ago, is another way in which Kent State is inviting the country to gain perspective on what happened 43 years ago and apply its meaning to the future. We would invite those who created the sign to visit our campus and learn more about the event which forever changed Kent State and America," Mansfield said.
Hours later, the fraternity hung a new sign outside their door. "We would like to apologize to Kent State for our inappropriate sign," the new sign read.
They also released a statement apologizing to Kent State:
"We, the men of Zeta Zeta, formally apologize to your entire community for the banner that was hung from our house this past weekend. The sign was inappropriate and should never have been hung in the first place. We hope that the Kent State community can forgive our action and accept our sincere apologies. We apologize not only to the community of Kent State, but also to those who were personally affected by this tragedy in American history. Hanging the banner was a poor attempt at humor. We, as young college students, did not grasp the full scoop of the tragedy and it's long lasting effects. This is not how we would like to represent our fraternity as well as our school, and we certainly hope we did not put a negative spin on your school's visit to Louisiana State University. On behalf of our chapter, Zeta Zeta, we apologize. We hope to host Kent State on our campus again in the near future and to help make your next visit a positive one."
Ernie Ballard, director of media at LSU, also released an apologetic statement.
"LSU certainly does not condone this insensitive behavior and poor judgment by the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity," Ballard said. "LSU officials have spoken with the fraternity and believe that the students now understand the gravity of their actions. The students have issued a formal apology to Kent State University. LSU is also working with local and national DKE leaders in an effort to prevent this type of behavior in the future."