Clemson fraternity suspends activity after "inappropriate" party

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The Clemson University chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon has suspended all fraternity activities after what the school called "an inappropriate theme party" organized by several members last weekend.

Multiple media outlets reported that most of the chapter's officers have resigned after white students dressed as gang members at a "Cripmas party."

The party sparked a widespread backlash on social media. Pictures on social media early Sunday showed Clemson students covering their faces with red and blue bandanas and wearing T-shirts with images of handcuffs and the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

Clemson President Jim Clements said the party raised concerns about the campus racial climate.

The school said any member of the fraternity who attended the party could be suspended, depending on the outcome of an internal investigation.

Clemson University's Chief Diversity Officer Leon Wiles told CBS affiliate WSPA that students have told him these kinds of parties have been held under the radar since a 2007 party held over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend where white students drank malt liquor and at least one partygoer wore blackface.

"There have been a number of parties that haven't registered with the media or haven't registered with campus officials.... The reason we became aware of this party is because it was put out on social media," Wilses told WSPA. "It's evidence that students haven't learned the impact of these kinds of parties."