Colorado State is under scrutiny after a fraternity displayed a giant banner depicting Uncle Sam in what appeared to be blackface with the words, “We want you to rush Lambda Chi.”
The Banner was first spotted by CSU student Corey Valentine just before midnight on Sept. 4, reported The Rocky Mountain Collegian, an independent student-run newspaper.
A photo showed it prominently placed at the entrance to the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house on Wagner Drive in Fort Collins, partially obscuring the front doors and impossible to miss. “I drove around multiple times and was just like, ‘this can’t be up, this can’t be real,’” Valentine told the newspaper. He quickly alerted the university, filing an “incident of bias” report around 2:30 am, and received a follow-up email by the next morning.
Valentine also posted photos on his social media, where one commenter suggested the lighting created the illusion of blackface: “The light at night made it look black,” said the person, to which another asked, “Just the skin part, not the other part of the sheet?”
Soon after posting the photos, Valentine and another student, Matthew Bishop, met with the University’s Black/African American Cultural Center, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and staff from The Collegian to discuss the incident.
When he and Bishop returned to the house later that day to check on the banner’s status, it had been taken down. As the two stood on the public sidewalk, at least five fraternity brothers approached them and began to threaten legal action.
In the incident, which was caught on video, one student immediately approached with an imposing demeanor. Demanding to know their name. But after multiple refusals, he opted to call the police instead.
Another intervened and quelled the idea of calling the police. He instead attempted to offer an explanation, saying it was all “a misconception” and “wasn’t anything to do intentionally,” claiming the rain and the lighting made the banner appear like blackface.
Tensions rose again as a different frat brother accused Valentine of stealing the flag and breaking into their house. He listed off a slew of charges the fraternity would bring against him, including battery, trespass, theft, and vandalism. “That’s a big pile of sh-t you opened up,” one could be heard saying. “Our chapter is national, so our lawyers are pretty f–king good,” another warned.
Some of the fraternity members allegedly used racial slurs against Valentine that were not caught on video, The Collegian reported.
Colorado State University told the news outlet that an investigation of the incident is underway. “The university stands strong as an inclusive space for all students and upholds the values represented by CSU’s Principles of Community,” the statement read. The national Lambda Chi organization, however, has not yet issued a statement.
This is not the first blackface episode at Colorado State. In 2019, the public university was criticized for refusing to punish students who posed in blackface in a photo that circulated across social media. At the time, university President Joyce McConnell cited the students’ First Amendment rights, saying social media posts were outside the school’s jurisdiction. McConnell stepped down from her post at the university in June 2022.
In 2018, a chapter of the Lambda Chi fraternity at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California sparked outrage when photos surfaced of demeaning and racist caricatures of African Americans and Latinos. After some 400 students marched through campus to protest, the national organization put the chapter on probationary suspension, which was lifted in spring 2019.
If the case advances at Colorado State, the next step will be an investigation by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. In the meantime, student organizations are rallying around Valentine and reaffirming their commitment to fighting racism.
The Africans United board blasted Lambda Chi’s alleged actions, stating, “Such behavior is entirely unacceptable and does not align with our values.”
“Cultural competency on this campus is not optional,” read a statement issued by the United Men of Color. “UMC has an unwavering commitment to creating safe spaces for all students on campus, and we will not be a partner in the silence that occurs when blatant racist attacks occur.”
