--- description: Additionally, parents of another student have apologized on their son's behalf title: Student in Racist Frat Video Sorry for 'Horrible Mistake' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8380d96cb27f853/698782fe524fc007c4decd5e/sigma-alpha-epsilon1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Education](/tag/education/) ## Education Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Student in Racist Frat Video Sorry for 'Horrible Mistake'  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 11, 2015 12:38 AM CUT  The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is seen at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., March 9, 2015. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is seen at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., March 9, 2015.Heide Brandes—Reuters  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 11, 2015 12:38 AM CUT A student who appeared in a [video showing racist chanting by SAE fraternity members](http://time.com/3737668/sigma-alpha-epsilon-frat-video-university-oklahoma/ "undefined") at the University of Oklahoma issued an apology Tuesday for his “horrible mistake.” Parker Rice, reportedly one of the two students expelled by the university’s president Tuesday, said he was “deeply sorry” for his role in the events portrayed in the video. “It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same,” he wrote in a lengthy statement first published in the [Dallas _Morning News_](http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/03/jesuit-dallas-president-says-graduate-appears-to-be-leading-racist-chant-in-ou-sae-video.html/ "undefined"). “On Monday, I withdrew from the university, and sadly, at this moment our family is not able to be in our home because of threatening calls as well as frightening talk on social media.” The statement continues: “I know everyone wants to know why or how this happened. I admit it likely was fueled by alcohol consumed at the house before the bus trip, but that’s not an excuse.” Rice ends by saying he will seek help on how to learn from the incident and ensure it will never happen again. Rice’s apology arrived shortly after an apology from the parents of Levi Pettit, who identified their son as a fellow OU student involved in the video’s making. “As parents of Levi, we love him and care for him deeply. He made a horrible mistake, and will live with the consequences forever. However, we also know the depth of our son’s character. He is a good boy, but what we saw in those videos is disgusting,” Pettit’s parents wrote in their apology on their [website](http://www.friendsandfamilyoflevipettit.com/ "undefined"). “While it may be difficult for those who only know Levi from the video to understand, we know his heart, and he is not a racist.” Several media outlets, including [OU’s campus newspaper](http://www.oudaily.com/news/parker-rice-identified-as-student-expelled-from-ou-after-racist/article%5F424a63fc-c74c-11e4-8f34-03aacf374cdb.html "undefined"), have confirmed that Rice and Pettit are the [two SAE members expelled Tuesday](http://time.com/3739178/university-of-oklahoma-racist-chant/ "undefined") for playing a leadership role in the video. \[[Dallas _Morning News_\]](http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/03/jesuit-dallas-president-says-graduate-appears-to-be-leading-racist-chant-in-ou-sae-video.html/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/"},"headline":"Student in Racist Frat Video Sorry for 'Horrible Mistake'","datePublished":"2015-03-11T00:38:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:04:03.416Z","description":"\"It was wrong and reckless.\"","url":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/","keywords":["Education"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8380d96cb27f853/698782fe524fc007c4decd5e/sigma-alpha-epsilon1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8380d96cb27f853/698782fe524fc007c4decd5e/sigma-alpha-epsilon1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is seen at the University of Oklahoma in Norman","caption":"The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is seen at the University of Oklahoma in Norman","creditText":"Heide Brandes—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/education/","name":"Education"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/","name":"Student in Racist Frat Video Sorry for 'Horrible Mistake'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"University Of Oklahoma Fraternity Closed Over Racist Video","description":"The Oklahoma University chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was shut down Sunday just hours after video surfaced of its members singing a racist chant.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/l4rAEcxu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-09T13:40:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/l4rAEcxu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/","duration":"PT1M20S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3740006/oklahoma-sae-racist-chant-parker-rice/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```