A sorority member with the University of Kansas chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta has been placed on probation after sharing social media posts critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, according to a Fox News report.
Sophomore Katherine Lauer was sanctioned by her sorority for “argumentative communication (verbal or otherwise) with members as a result of your social media posts that disregards different opinions,” according to documents given to Fox News.
Lauer shared a post by conservative pundit Candace Owens that claimed, “Black Lives Matter is an organization of white men, using the faces of dead Black people to raise millions of dollars toward electing White Democrats into positions of power.”
Sorority leaders told Lauer in a letter sent Monday that her probation was due to “conduct unbecoming a member of the Fraternity.” In audio of a meeting to appeal the sorority’s decision showed, Lauer can be heard stating that she supports the idea of Black Lives Matter and that she mainly took issue with where funds raised by it are going, according to Fox.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the sorority said, “Kappa Alpha Theta respects our members’ rights to free speech by sharing various political and social viewpoints when they’re expressed thoughtfully and respectfully. However, members will be held responsible in accordance with Theta’s member accountability process for any actions or comments that are derogatory and hateful in nature.”
The terms of ending her probation include watching a video selected by the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, tracking her social media posts for one week and a recommendation to “focus on positive, collegial conversations with members when approached about your online social media posts.”
Speaking to Fox News, Lauer said, “At this point, you know, I still don’t know exactly what I’ve done and to me, I feel like they’re really trying to suppress me and silence me. I’ve had actually a lot of Thetas reach out to me and thank me for my post and say that they really appreciated my bravery because a lot of the conservative friends that I have do not feel comfortable speaking their opinion.”
“It’s almost like, you know, where it’s just the environment that everyone feels suppressed,” she added.