A UCLA fraternity was suspended from hosting social activities as the university investigated a costumed theme party that some students called racially insensitive.
The "Kanye Western" party, in which some attendees patted their rear-ends to resemble rapper Kanye West's wife Kim Kardashian while others wore do-rags, set off a campus demonstration Thursday and was discussed on Twitter bound by the #BlackBruinsMatter hash tag.
"Of course, the first thing we see isn't Kim Kardashian, we see you emulating a woman of color - specifically a black woman," UCLA senior Ameinah Thomas said.
The event was held Tuesday night at the predominantly white Sigma Phi Epsilon house and co-hosted by the Alpha Phi sorority, which was also suspended from social activities.
Some female partygoers apparently wore charcoal on their faces in reference to West's 2005 single "Gold Digger."
A crowd of students wearing black joined the Afrikan Student Union in a protest on campus Thursday.
"I don't think it's being blow out of proportion," Thomas said. "I can honestly say it may be a differing of perspectives."
UCLA and the Sigma Phi Epsilon national office have both launched investigations into the party.
"While we do not yet have all the facts, the alleged behavior is inconsistent with good judgment as well as our principles of community," UCLA said in a statement. "We remind students that while they are free to celebrate in ways that draw on popular culture, their specific choices can cause harm and pain to fellow members of their community. Put simply: Just because you can do something, does not mean you should."
