( CNN ) Before this week , David Boren did n't need to add to his resume . It was impressive enough already . The 73-year-old University of Oklahoma president was also a former governor , former U.S. senator and Rhodes scholar . Boren has become the face of the school 's stand against racism after a highly visible and passionate condemnation of a video that appears to show Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members chanting a racial epitaph . It started with a bullhorn at a campus rally . `` I have a message for those who have misused their freedom of speech in this way . My message to them is : You 're disgraceful . You have violated every principle that this university stands for . '' It continued with a press conference , saying fraternity members had until midnight Tuesday to get out of their house . `` The house will be closed , and as far as I 'm concerned , they wo n't be back , '' Boren said , adding that the university is exploring what actions it can take against individual fraternity members . And it extended to network television . `` Sooners are not racists . They 're not bigots , '' Boren told CNN in one of his many public reprimands . `` They are people who respect each other and care about each other . '' Boren spent nearly 30 years in elected office before becoming the 13th president of the University of Oklahoma in 1994 . He was a U.S. senator from 1979 to 1994 , where he was the longest serving chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee . Before that , he served four years as Oklahoma 's governor . He campaigned as a reformer , with a broom as his symbol , and when elected , he became the youngest governor in the state . He was 33 at the time . Boren is the first person in Oklahoma history to have served all three positions , according to his university biography . Boren graduated from Yale University in 1963 , in the top one percent of his class . He was selected as a Rhodes scholar and earned a master 's degree in politics , philosophy and economics from Oxford University , England , in 1965 . Boren received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1968 . Both his father , Lyle , and his son , Dan , served in the U.S. House of Representatives . Zero tolerance is the only answer to racism , Boren said . Not just for the school , but the nation . `` It 's not just the Greek system , it 's not just colleges and universities . It 's Ferguson , Missouri . All sorts of elements of our society are involved , '' he said . For now , Boren said the school is looking into punishing the individuals involved , especially any of those who led the chants . `` We 're trying to determine if we have enough evidence and if we can meet the federal standards to prevail in court , and , if so , we 'll take action , '' Boren said . `` This is not a place that wants racists or bigots on our campus or will tolerate it so I think you have to send a very strong signal . '' In the meantime , Boren said he will work with students who are calling for a change , including Unheard , a campus organization that formed in response to the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson . Unheard , along with the university newspaper , anonymously received the video showing the fraternity chant and made it public . Boren started meeting with the group in January , well ahead of the SAE video . Both sides described the sessions as `` constructive , '' the Washington Post reported Monday . `` They are very constructive . They have very good ideas and we 're going to make it better . We 're determined to make it better , '' Boren told CNN .
Boren is the first person in Oklahoma history to serve as governor , senator and CNN president . He 's the face of the university 's stand against racism .