The University of Maryland student who sent an offensive email using racial slurs and references to rape will not return to campus this semester.
"The hateful email from January 2014 has shaken our campus," Linda Clement, vice president for Student Affairs, said in a letter to students. "I know many of you feel hurt and angry."
Clement said the student, his family and the university mutually agreed on his leaving.
While it was a year old, the email was recently forwarded to university leaders. Those same leaders also met with student groups Thursday to discuss ways to improve diversity and prevent sex assault among Greek organizations.
The content of the email references rush week, when students pledge fraternities and sororities. The email's author tells the six recipients to ban certain ethnic groups from the fraternity's parties using racial slurs and sexually aggressive language. At one point in the email, the author also denounces consent for sexual activity.
Kappa Sigma fraternity acknowledged in a statement posted on its website that the student was an undergraduate and member of the University of Maryland chapter when he sent the email. The fraternity said it suspended the student after learning about the email and that he later resigned.
In recent weeks, several fraternities at other universities have come under fire for incidents of racism and sexism. Most notably, two University of Oklahoma fraternity members were expelled from the school following the release of video footage showing them singing a racist chant.
