The national office of the Kappa Alpha fraternity has lifted its suspension of UVa's chapter after determining that none of those who wore blackface to its Halloween party were members of the fraternity. Officials at UVa say this this does not "effect" [sic] their own "local investigation" however, and the campus chapter of Kappa Alpha remains suspended by the school. Though no Kappa Alpha members wore the offensive costumes, some argue that the fraternity is nonetheless responsible for them:

Okem Nwogu, vice chairman of the Black Fraternal Council, was critical of the lifted suspension, saying he felt the Kappa Alpha Order is still accountable for the offensive actions because they co-sponsored the party.

"Accountability has to be placed on Kappa Alpha and Zeta Psi because they controlled access to the party," Nwogu said. He described the acts as "blatantly ignorant," adding that both fraternities are "guilty by omission" for not controlling the content of their party.

Nwogu added that the costume of the individual dressed as a blackfaced Uncle Sam was particularly offensive because of the historical context of blackface.

"Blackface is a reference to minstrel shows, where white men dressed up as plantation slaves and imitated black musical and dance forms in a derogatory and paradoxical manner," Nwogu said. "That's a symbol of a time when black people were subjected to all different sorts of discrimination and racist practices. Black people weren't treated as equals."

The concept of "controlling the content of [the] party" is a telling one: in that choice of words, the reporter inadvertantly refutes the argument she is reporting by casting the entire gathering, not just individual costumes, as a form of expression. In effect, her words suggest that the "accountability" demanded by Nwogu is synonymous with censorship.