On the heels of the racially-charged fraternity scandal that rocked the University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California student government leaders warn another may be brewing within their own community.
According to a report published by the L.A. Times, plans to build a black cultural center on the campus's "the Row" stretch of fraternities and sororities may be scrapped after social media users anonymously opposed with hate-filled comments.
To many the onslaught of negative feedback - including one Yik Yak app comment that read "Why would they open a prison on the Row?" - reinforces the notion that racial undertones exist within the USC community.
"It showed that there's a mindset about this school that we have to eradicate," said USC student body president Rini Sampath. "It showed me that we need a space where students who feel like they're marginalized feel comfortable."
The proposed center became known as Black House and was modeled after similar programs at schools like Georgetown and Stanford. It differs from fraternities in that residency would not be offered and alcohol would be prohibited. Black House has no affiliation to the school's black Greek organizations, which aren't located on the Row.
Several high-profile incidents have put fraternities' usefulness into question.
Earlier this month, video of pledges at OU's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chanting a racist song was released, causing a national uproar and a subsequent apology from the chapter. Students in the video boast about S.A.E. never admitting a black member then refer to lynching a black person.
The family of former Clemson student Tucker Hipps filed a wrongful death suit against the school, listing the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity as a defendant. Hipps was found dead in shallow water below a bridge on Sept. 22, 2014.
Hipps' family contends that the 19-year-old was thrown off the bridge after refusing to buy breakfast for the fraternity before a morning run. Chapter heads contend they didn't know Hipps was missing from the group. The lawsuit contends that members of the fraternity deleted text message and call history of the day, and allegedly told Hipps' girlfriend that they had seen him at the library.
These cases are in addition to mounting domestic and sexual assault charges on fraternities and college administrators.
Black House student organizers still eye the Row for their cultural center but are admittedly unsure if national Greek organizations would sell them real estate in the location.
"Nobody will be able to ignore us," said USC student Ama Amoafo-Yeboah. "We will be in the heart of the social scene, for better or worse."
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