Yesterday, a dean at the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa condemned a fraternity and a sorority for behavior that allegedly involved swastikas and anti-Semitic behavior.

Dean Danielle McDonald, Associate Vice President for Community Development and Student Engagement, sent out an email to the USF community highlighting the behavior of students involved in USF’s Pi Kappa Phi’s Zeta eta chapter and Sigma Kappa’s Lambda Zeta chapter.

McDonald said members of the groups allegedly participated in the following incidents, for which they are being investigated by USF’s Student Conduct and Ethical Development team:

The placement of a swastika symbol on a member of a fraternity.
An anti-Semitic post on social media that minimized the tragedy of the Holocaust that was purported to have been posted by a member of a fraternity.
A post on social media anonymously accusing a member of a sorority of racist behavior.
Retaliatory behavior from the fraternity and the sorority involved.

The organizations have both since apologized for their behavior, although yesterday, one of them claimed that the group is now absolved from the accusations.

Sigma Kappa originally posted on Instagram on Feb. 12 that the leadership was “horrified and embarrassed” by the actions of one of their members, who was suspended.

“We are actively working to rectify this situation to ensure all of our members uphold our values,” the group wrote. But yesterday, Sigma Kappa posted that it “learned new evidence that absolves our sister from all accusations,” adding that, “We have received physical documentation that the entirety of the post was fabricated.”

The wording of both posts was vague, so Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to get more details, but has not yet heard back. This post will be updated if a response comes in.

Pi Kappa Phi addressed the allegations directly, and did not reverse course. Four days ago, the group wrote on Instagram that it was “aware of the recent event that took place between Greek Rank and our chapter members.”

The group apologized to “the woman involved” along with the entire USF community for the incident. Once again, the wording was vague, and CL reached out for more information but has not yet received a response.

Today, the USF Oracle reported that a Jewish Pi Kappa Phi member had a swastika drawn on his body by the pledge master without consent as a part of initiation activities. Following this act, an anonymous student, believed to be a member of the fraternity, posed as the pledge master and posted a hateful antisemitic message on Feb. 16 to GreekRank, a website for fraternity and sorority members to post and rank other organizations.

Despite Sigma Kappa’s claim that their member is absolved, Dean McDonald still sent out the email yesterday to make the community aware.

The Dean did clarify that some members of the frats have been falsely accused of other’s behavior, saying, “Due to the anonymous nature of the social media site, and as more information continues to come to light, some individuals have been wrongly accused. I implore the community to allow the student conduct process to progress before making judgements on individuals or organizations.”

McDonald has not yet responded to CL’s inquiry about Sigma Kappa’s claims that their member is absolved.

The Dean went on to write that the Center for Student Involvement and the Office of Multicultural Affairs are working with the leaders of the organizations to reflect on their organizational values and review USF’s Principles of Community, which says, “We affirm the value of diversity, individual dignity, equity, and our common humanity and reject the demeaning acts of bullying, violence, prejudice, and discrimination as they undermine the community we aspire to be.”

The university is also using this moment this as an opportunity to strengthen their educational efforts around creating inclusive environments and confronting actions that contradict this purpose, the Dean wrote.

McDonald referred students and staff to resources available for those who feel impacted by these alleged incidents, including the USF Counseling Center and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

“USF embraces and celebrates diversity in all its forms. Anti-Semitism, racism, hate, and prejudice have no place here,” McDonald wrote. “We remain strong and united in our commitment to the Principles of Community in our pursuit of excellence.”

This is a developing story.