The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is fighting back against claims that racism is stitched into the fabric of the fraternity - by mandating that all members of the organization undergo 'diversity training . ' One of the University of Oklahoma students who took part in the infamous racist chant wrote that 'the song was taught to us , ' passed down through an unknown number of generations at the Oklahoma chapter before finally being exposed . On Wednesday , the fraternity 's executive director Blaine Ayers announced changes aimed at making SAE more inclusive , including diversity training and a review of every chapter 's behavior . Pained : Sigma Alpha Epsilon executive director Blaine Ayers apologized and announced changes Wednesday aimed at making SAE more inclusive , including diversity training . 'The chant in the video is ugly . It is demoralizing and absolutely counter to the values of SAE , ' Ayers said at a press conference in Chicago , describing his own disgust at the video . Though the fraternity is currently headquartered in Evanston , Illinois , it was founded at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa , five years before the beginning of the Civil War . The University of Oklahoma expelled two members and suspended the fraternity last week , though the chapter has retained a lawyer , Stephen Jones , who defended Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh . Ayers laid out several steps the fraternity would take nationwide in order to 'ensure that this never happens again . ' 'We are focused on trying to determine the root of this song or this chant , where it came from , that 's our primary focus , ' said Ayers , who stated he had never heard the chant . Diversity training program will be mandated for SAE members , and the fraternity has set up a hotline that will allow people to confidentially report inappropriate conduct , he added . Bad light : The recording showed a bus driving to an SAE function as two members led the chant , which mentioned lynching black people and declared there would 'never be a n***** in SAE ' Bad boys : The Los Angeles Times reported that SAE 's chapters have faced numerous disciplinary sanctions for their actions , including the drinking death of a pledge in 2008 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo . In addition to new programs in the fraternity , Ayers said the fraternity will appoint a director and national advisory committee for diversity and inclusion . The fraternity will also conduct and investigation of all 237 of its chapters to identify bigoted behaviors and prepare a report , the executive director added . 3 percent of SAE members identify as African-American , and 20 percent as non-white , according to data the fraternity began collecting in 2013 . That 20 percent 'is a number we would like to increase , ' Ayers said , though the target number was not given . It remains to be seen whether minority students have been turned off SAE for good after the video of the racist chant surfaced . The second-ever black member of the Oklahoma chapter , William Bruce James II , expressed the heartbreak he felt after seeing the video . 'There will never be another black SAE , ' he wrote in Quartz . ' I wish there had been one less . ' 'Counting heads is n't going to tell you much about cultural change , ' said Ben Reese , president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education . 'It strikes me as a response to crisis , ' said Reese , who reviewed the SAE plan . ' I hope the crisis response will evolve into a thoughtful process that brings in a number of stakeholders on campus . ' SAE has followed recent scandals with nationwide change in its chapters , becoming the first fraternity of its size to eliminate the pledging process , after reports surfaced of hazing . On Wednesday night , a call to the fraternity 's hotline rang several times before returning a recording asking the caller to leave a message .
University of Oklahoma suspended Sigma Alpha Epsilon after a video of members singing about lynching surfaced online . The fraternity 's national leadership announced a major review of the fraternity 's behavior to identify any racially insensitive actions . Comment: