Students challenge UCI frat party

UC Irvine’s student government is considering legislation that would condemn the actions of a campus fraternity and force the group to change its longstanding nickname after students complained about its Islander-themed party.

UCI’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity last week hosted its annual FIJI Islander party—a philanthropic event designed to raise money for organizations like the American Red Cross Foundation, Orangewood Children’s Foundation and Grandma’s House of Hope, according to the group’s Facebook page.

However, students are complaining that the attire worn by partygoers and the theme of the event was culturally insensitive to Pacific Islanders, who make up a small portion of the campus population.

Twenty-eight students at the university identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, according to UCI’s office of institutional research.

Greek organizations and unaffiliated students who attended the Islander “Shipfaced” party wore items that are culturally significant to Pacific Islanders, including grass skirts, body paint and coconut bras, said Save Gasaiwai, a Fijian student at UCI.

“Our history is exemplified by the way we dress,” Gasaiwai said. “When you represent us using cultural stereotypes you’re dehumanizing us. We don’t appreciate being mocked.”

Attendees boarding the bus to the off-campus event last week were called out by 10 student protesters, including Gasaiwai, holding signs that read: “This is not ‘FIJI,’ this is racist.”

Members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Interfraternity Council, which oversees all fraternities at UCI, did not respond to requests for comment.

Before the party, the fraternity posted a warning to students on Facebook that body paint wouldn’t be tolerated at the event.

“I’m freaken excited to get shipfaced tomorrow, but I do want to quickly remind everyone to be mindful of your costumes,” the post read.

This isn’t the first time a Greek organization has faced scrutiny at UCI.

In April 2013, the Lambda Theta Delta fraternity suspended itself from the university until fall 2014 after it was blasted for a member-produced video that featured a student in blackface.

In 2011, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity hosted a “Pilgrims and Indians” themed party during Thanksgiving week.

“This type of behavior is not isolated to the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and is indicative of an overall culture within the Greek system that continues to reproduce culturally insensitive parties using racist themes and costumes,” Gasaiwai said.

Students are also taking issue with the fraternity’s nickname “FIJI,” calling it an example of cultural appropriation, or the adoption of specific elements of one culture by another.

“Cultural appropriation can’t happen when there are historical inequalities still in effect,” Gasaiwai said, pointing to the minority status of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander students at UCI.

The national fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, including the one at UCI, uses the nickname FIJI because the Greek name is sacred and not to be used excessively, according to the organization’s traditions.

After the party, Gasaiwai began circulating a petition to bar the fraternity from hosting similar events in the future. The petition had 461 signatures by Thursday night, he said.

Nearly 50 students gathered in the Student Center on campus Thursday evening to encourage the student government to enact the legislation, which would bar the group from hosting similar events and prohibit it from using the FIJI nickname.

“By voting yes, you say Fiji is a country and not a costume,” said Andy Le, a fourth-year criminology major.

While the nearly two hours of public comment were dominated by students distancing themselves from the fraternity’s actions, one student said he didn’t necessarily believe the partygoers’ attire was racist.

“Why is this one occurrence an issue when grass skirts are sold everywhere?” asked Zach Arymichener, a fourth-year political science student.

Arymichener saidhe believes the fraternity should stop using the nickname FIJI.

David Hollingsworth, a UCI alumnus, attended the student government meeting to voice his concern about the “trend of inappropriate parties” at the university.

“At this point it’s not innocent, harmless naiveté,” he said. “It’s willful ignorance and it needs to stop.”

The fraternity is not facing any punishment from university administrators at this time, said Cathy Lawhon, director of media relations.

However, officials are meeting with the fraternity president to discuss how the group might do things differently next year, she said.

“I think there’s always room to learn about cultural sensitivity,” she said. “ As much as we strive to educate students about what cultural appropriation means, there’s always more to learn.”