Ever since footage leaked of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter members reciting a racist chant at the University of Oklahoma, reactions to the fraternity have surfaced all around the country.

Shortly after the incident, David Boren, the president of the University of Oklahoma, responded with swift justice towards the fraternity’s hateful actions.

“You are disgraceful,” President Boren was quoted as saying, according to an article published by CNN. “You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves Sooners.”

Eventually, Boren had the University of Oklahoma’s chapter of SAE removed from the campus, thereby disbanding the chapter. Furthermore, two of the fraternity members were expelled from the university.

Boren, after executing his decision to put a stop to acts of modern hatred, has been both praised as well as questioned about his decision.

According to an opinion column written by Eric Liu, Boren’s decision was an excellent one that would be beneficial for the university.

“He expressed a decisive, judgmental view with moral clarity,” Liu said in his article. “Then he followed through.”

According to the column, Boren’s decision was upheld by the ideals that he and the university expressed, specifically, having a university that is free of intolerance. Because Boren acted with these ideals in mind, the decision was extremely just. However, the other side believes that Boren’s decision was actually unconstitutionally unjust.

Liu’s column further describes how some people believe that the members of the SAE chapter at the University of Oklahoma were actually abiding by their constitutional right of free speech. Moreover, there are many people who believe that Boren was unjustly using his position as President of the university, as they claim that he was denying the members of the university their right to freedom of speech.

When does hate speech come into play when it comes to freedom of speech? Should it be protected by the First Amendment at all? The members of the SAE chapter at the University of Oklahoma were completely hateful in their chant. They described, in graphic detail, how they would rather lynch an African American than have one join their fraternity. This kind of hateful message should not at all be tolerated at any sort of respectful institution of higher learning, as it takes away what should stand in any modern day institution.