Yale suspends fraternity for raunchy chants

By Jason Kessler, CNN
UPDATED: 07:19 AM EDT 05.18.11

Months after video of its pledges shouting pro-rape chants went viral on YouTube, an elite fraternity chapter at Yale has been suspended.

Yale College Dean Mary Miller announced the suspension of the university's Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter on Tuesday in an e-mail to students and faculty.

A disciplinary body at the college "imposed sanctions on the DKE chapter as an organization that prohibit it from conducting any fraternity activities on campus (including recruiting) for a period of five years," Miller wrote.

The sanctions also "prevent it from communicating with Yale students by means of Yale bulletin boards or Yale e-mail, and severely limit its use of the Yale name in connection with the DKE organization."

Punishments were meted out to individual fraternity members too, the dean said.

The chapter drew widespread criticism last fall after its pledges chanted slogans that seemed to advocate rape, such as "No Means Yes" and "Yes Means (a sex act)." Video of the frat's antics circulated widely on the internet.

Yale's disciplinary actions Tuesday come several weeks after officials confirmed the university was under federal investigation for a possible Title IX violation. The complaint that prompted the investigation alleged that the school's policies permitted a "sexually hostile environment" to exist on campus.

Delta Kappa Epsilon has operated at Yale since 1844 and is "the only fraternity at Yale which has never gone inactive," according to its website. The chapter's illustrious roster of former members includes presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The international Delta Kappa Epsilon office did not immediately return a request for comment.

From CNN.com