Racist Chants by OU Fraternity Spark Nationwide Outrage

Oklahoma made headlines worldwide after a video surfaced of members of OU's Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity singing a racist song. The students were on their way to a formal dinner to celebrate the founding of the fraternity 159 years ago. The video, which contained a racial slur and referred to lynching, was released to the public on Sunday, causing immediate outrage.

OU President David Boren cut all ties with the fraternity, revoking the charter and giving members until Tuesday evening to remove their belongings. The fraternity's national office also announced that it was closing the Oklahoma chapter, suspending all the members and potentially revoking the membership of those involved in the incident.

Boren stated that the fraternity took actions that misused the freedom of speech. As part of his official statement he said:

"Real Sooners are not bigots. Real Sooners are not racists. Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat each other with respect. Real Sooners love each other and care for each other like members of a common family."

Students Protest SAE Video (Courtesy of Huffington Post)

Boren appeared early Monday morning to protest the video alongside football coach Bob Stoops, basketball couch Lon Kruger, and many of the university's athletic team members. Today, he announced that two students who were leaders in the racist chant were expelled from the university. An investigation is still ongoing to determine the identity of other students in the video. 

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What do you think? Should these students be punished so harshly? Should even speech such as this receive protection?