A Syracuse University sorority is apologizing for briefly displaying a banner on its house that resembled a Nazi-era Olympic poster.
“The creation and display of this banner was done without malice, but rather a lack of awareness of the meaning behind the imagery,” the university’s chapter of Delta Delta Delta wrote in a statement on Tuesday on Instagram. “Unfortunately, we did not have the proper oversight and safeguards in place to prevent the harm caused by this display.”
“Hate has no place in our sisterhood or our community, and we appreciate your grace and understanding as we work to take accountability and rebuild trust damaged by our mistake,” the chapter added.
On Monday, the sorority reportedly displayed then removed the banner, which closely mirrored the design of a famous poster for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a competition often remembered as the “Nazi Olympics” because of the Hitler regime’s use of the games for propaganda purposes.
The Independent has contacted the chapter, its national leadership, and Syracuse University for comment.
Both the original poster and the Syracuse imitation featured a Hellenic figure with a crown of laurel leaves, raising an arm triumphantly above the famous chariot statue that tops Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
The banner was meant to showcase the sorority’s efforts as part of Derby Days, an annual week-long philanthropy drive organized by the Sigma Chi fraternity to raise money for cancer research.
Matt Field, a rabbi and writer who blogs about Jewish issues, said the display was especially offensive because it took place during Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“There is no good version of this story,” he wrote on X.
Others seemed to make light of the banner, pointing to the absurdity of the image appearing shortly before former President Joe Biden, a Syracuse law school alum, was on campus on Tuesday to unveil his official portrait.
“Syracuse has Joe Biden on campus and [Tri Delta] (quite clearly accidentally) using imagery from the 1936 nazi Olympics in a banner,” Renny Zucker, a Syracuse alum, wrote on X.
“Cuse baby!!” he added, using a nickname for the university. “Cuse is back!!”
The university told The Daily Orange campus news outlet it learned about the banner on Monday after it was already taken down. Syracuse has contacted the sorority’s chapter leadership and national headquarters.
“We are addressing this matter fully in accordance with applicable Student Handbook and Greek Life policies,” Sarah Scalese, Syracuse’s vice president of communications, told the outlet.
The school’s Greek life previously drew headlines in 2018 when video leaked from a secret fraternity Facebook group that showed members of Theta Tau carrying out a performance that included racist and antisemitic remarks. At the time, the university announced the engineering fraternity would be expelled and that individual students involved could face suspension or expulsion.
Earlier this year, the official online shop of the Olympics came under fire for selling a t-shirt featuring the 1936 poster design.
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