REPORT: Stanford admin suggests frat takes down American flag

A Stanford University administrator allegedly persuaded a now-defunct fraternity to remove an American flag from its house in order to break stereotypes.

While on suspension during the fall 2017 semester, Sigma Chi met with an administrator acting as a liaison between the frat and Stanford’s Residential Education office, according to the Stanford Review. The administrator, identified by the Stanford Review as “Mr. Z,” suggested that Sigma Chi take the flag down. This was during a period when the frat was trying to bring itself back into good standing with the school so that it could resume operations, which ultimately did not happen.

Stanford University 2018 graduate, Pablo Lozano, called Mr. Z “supportive” regarding the frat’s struggle to survive probation and “transparent” concerning the school’s bureaucracy. However, the Stanford alum reported that, during a dinner at Sigma Chi, the administrator suggested that the frat take down its American flag to help get rid of stereotypes and remove the presence of a potentially unsettling symbol.

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Mr. Z’s tone suggested that he found the flag offensive, according to Lozano, and the student interpreted the administrator’s suggestion as something which, left undone, could hamper Sigma Chi’s chances at resuming operations on campus.

The Stanford alum claimed that the nearby Stanford Post Office flew the flag, as well as the Green Library’s Bing Wing. Lozano said that he did not recall Mr. Z objecting to a Dominican flag flying from a Sigma Chi bedroom window or a Palestinian flag at a residence across the street.

Lozano did not remove Sigma Chi’s American flag, but instead replaced the frat’s three-by-five-foot banner with a four-by-six-foot flag, framing and featuring the former flag in a prominent location inside. The then-Stanford student called the decision a “silent but visible protest” against the Stanford administrator designating the American flag as potentially polarizing.

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Other people, who preferred to stay unnamed, reportedly corroborated Lozano’s account to the Stanford Review.

Stanford and the national Sigma Chi chapter did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

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