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 "The last thing I want to do is go to court," Stephen Jones, a
high-profile attorney who represented convicted Oklahoma City bomber
Timothy McVeigh, told a news conference.
Jones said while he is not currently planning to sue the university
for punishments it has imposed against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
chapter, he is not ruling out legal action.
The university shut down the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house and expelled
the two members who it said were the leaders in the video. Jones
said he understands the two men withdrew from the university before
being expelled.
Jones said he is seeking to make sure the due process rights of the
students are protected as well as the fraternity's property rights.
 The 10-second video was shot on a bus chartered for a date night by
the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and posted online on Sunday.
Students are seen and heard chanting in unison, using offensive
language referring to black people and vowing never to admit them to
the fraternity.
Jones said fraternity members have been physically threatened and
received death threats following the incident, but did not offer
specifics.
"Above all else, the board is concerned about their physical
safety," Jones said of the fraternity members, referring to the
local chapter's board of directors.
The two students have been identified as Levi Pettit, 20, and Parker
Rice, 19. Pettit's parents and Rice issued apologies on Tuesday.
Some alumni have told local media they believe university President
David Boren may have overstepped his authority in imposing
punishment.
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Sigma Alpha Epsilon's national body said it supported the expulsion
and is investigating whether other chapters have used the same song.
It said it does not intend to pursue legal action against the
university.
A chapter also is being investigated by the University of
Washington, where black students say members hurled slurs at them
during a protest, the Seattle Times reported.
In an incident involving another fraternity, the University of
Maryland is investigating a January 2014 email containing racist and
sexist language allegedly written by a member of the Kappa Sigma
house.
(Additional reporting by John Clarke in Washington; Writing by Jon
Herskovitz; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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