A University of Pennsylvania fraternity is under investigation by both the school and its national organisation for distributing a holiday card that included a photo of the brotherhood posing with a blow-up sex doll, student newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian reports.

UPenn’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity caused controversy this weekend after its chapter Christmas card circulated on social media Sunday night. The card reportedly uses a picture of the brotherhood after a Secret Santa gift exchange, where one student received a “Beyoncé” blow-up sex doll.

As The DP notes, the “dark-skinned blow-up doll in the top left of the photo [is] seemingly one of the only objects of colour in the picture, as most of the men appear to be Caucasian.”

The DP also reports on a draft of an email apology sent by Phi Delta Theta to minority-student groups on campus:

The draft apology, signed “The Brothers of Phi Delta Theta at the University of Pennsylvania,” said the Beyoncé sex toy was “distasteful” and that “once removed from the packaging, it bore no semblance to the artist beyond skin colour adding to its offensive nature.” The apology said “there were absolutely no prejudicial motivations behind the gift,” but acknowledged that “the absence of racial motivation is no justification for this act of poor judgment and the decision not to include a sex toy in a holiday picture should have been an easy one.”

The Phi Delta Theta national organisation also confirmed to The DP that it’s investigating the photo used in the holiday card:

In an emailed statement, Associate Executive Vice President of Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity Sean Wagner said an investigation of the chapter will seek to determine how this “misguided decision” was made and determine an appropriate punishment and form of “educational action that will promote reform.”

“We are deeply concerned by this image,” Wagner wrote in the statement. “Phi Delta Theta is a values-based organisation and the lack of judgment associated with this image indicates a disconnect from those same values.”

All Phi Delta Theta chapter operations at UPenn have been suspended due to the investigation, according to The DP.

We’ve reached out to UPenn for a statement on the investigation into Phi Delta Theta, and will update with any comment we receive.

 

 

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