A boisterous and peaceful group of University of Vermont students marched from the campus to Acacia fraternity Wednesday, demanding the fraternity´s closure after a racially tinged hazing incident last month.

The demonstrators were angry that pledges from the fraternity took photos of themselves giving an obscene gesture to a minority student. College officials said the photograph also depicted the pledges´ threatening the student with a golf club.

Two days after the incident, the university suspended Acacia. The university is planning internal hearings this month. Four pledges might face punishment and further sanctions could be imposed on the fraternity.

Acacia members submitted written apologies to university administrators and the student, saying they intended no harm and regretted their insensitivity. The photograph was meant as a spoof of tensions between Iraq and the United States and was not intended as a racial insult, the fraternity said in its statement.

At the rally, a racially mixed crowd of more than 300 students was unmoved by the apology and gathered on Acacia´s front lawn to denounce the fraternity.

Demonstrators decried the racism, sexism and homophobia they said was prevalent in fraternities. The group chanted slogans like "Racist frats have got to go."

Student Netdahe Stoddard, 20, said UVM´s internal judicial process cannot be relied upon to adequately punish Acacia. He said the student population is demanding sanctions against the fraternity.

"This is a judicial committee right here," Stoddard said, gesturing to the crowd. "What is our decision as the judicial committee?"

"Shut it down!" the crowd responded.

"This is two, three or four hundred votes to shut it down," Stoddard said.

Dean Batt, UVM vice president of student affairs, told students at the rally the school´s investigation will be fair. He praised the demonstrators for speaking out and said efforts to end racism on campus will continue after the Acacia disciplinary process ends.

Angela Batista, who said she is a friend of the student whose photograph was taken, disputed the fraternity´s statement that the student cooperated with the pledges. "They took his picture even though he told them he didn´t want his picture taken," Batista said.

Nobody from Acacia appeared at the rally, even as protesters taped banners to the fraternity building. Four young men on an apartment house balcony next door to Acacia lobbed snowballs at the protesters.

Fraternity member Jeff Hall said some fraternity members were in the Acacia building during the rally. Hall said Acacia would have no further comment.

This is not the first time Acacia prompted protests in recent years. In 1990, Acacia rejected an African-American, gay pledge because members of the fraternity were uncomfortable with having a homosexual man in their ranks.

The move prompted a rally about the same size as Wednesday´s. The college also ordered Acacia to apologize to the gay pledge, return his $75 application fee and conduct in-house educational programs on homophobia.

What´s next:

WHO: Four University of Vermont students have been charged by the university for their involvement in a racially tinged hazing incident.

HEARINGS: Hearings will be held under UVM´s internal judicial system, which is not open to the public. Sanctions could range from dismissal to a disciplinary warning.

WHEN: The process should be completed by the end of the month.

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