The University of Missouri temporarily suspended the campus Delta Upsilon chapter Wednesday amid a growing backlash over a report of members shouting racist and sexist insults at black students.

MU acted after Delta Upsilon International, headquartered in Indianapolis, announced a temporary suspension of the chapter. Several campus groups issued statements condemning the incident.

Two black female MU students, members of the Legion of Black Collegians Activities Committee, reported they were targets of shouted racial slurs as they were walking near the Delta Upsilon house on Tiger Avenue at about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. They passed a group of white male and female students, one of whom shouted, �Look at those niggers looking at us,� the legion said in a news release.

The women contacted other members of the activities committee, asking them to join them. They also contacted nearby MU Police Department officers, who attempted to quell the disruption.

�It was at this moment, outside the Delta Upsilon Fraternity house, that while police were attempting to de-escalate the situation, members of the fraternity began recording the interaction, as well as shouting a variety of obscenities at the Committee,� the news release said. �These obscenities included, but were not limited to, �Mizzou PC, c..ts, b.....es, niggers� with a plethora of other micro-aggressions.�

The legion convened a two-hour town hall meeting Wednesday evening at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center. Legion leaders declined requests for interviews and asked for reporters to be excluded, MU spokesman Christian Basi said.

�We have recognized student groups across campus,� Basi said. �They all have the ability to reserve space, and it is up to them to decide how that space is used.�

The incident shows problems of racial animosity on campus have not improved, the legion said in its news release. Racial issues dominated the fall 2015 semester, beginning with disruption of the Homecoming parade, followed by a hunger strike by student Jonathan Butler and a boycott of athletic activities by the Tigers football team. In response, the university created a UM System diversity and inclusion office, elevated the status of campus diversity officers, revised campus free-speech policies and funded increased minority recruitment.

�To say that we are disgusted is beyond an understatement,� the legion�s news release said.

Students on their way into the meeting said racial animosity is a continuing problem at MU despite administration efforts.

�I didn�t have any reasons to be shocked, but I was disappointed considering everything we went through last semester,� senior Blessing Kalu said. �I was thinking we were on a better road, and I thought it was maybe sinking in with some people.�

Kalu said she has not been the target of racist language but has felt racial tension.

�I have been in the presence of white students at this university who have looked down on me because I am black,� she said.

Officers issued no citations and made no arrests at the fraternity, said Maj. Brian Weimer of the MU police.

Delta Upsilon is in a new fraternity house, dedicated in July and built with a $6.4 million loan obtained by the chapter alumni board. The suspension means the fraternity cannot use campus facilities or participate in campus activities, including Homecoming, according to a statement from the MU News Bureau.

�Since the beginning of the semester, the fraternity has been cited for other violations, including alcohol violations,� the statement read.

Austyn Bair, president of the fraternity, directed questions to the international fraternity headquarters.

�We don�t have any comment at this time,� Bair said.

Bruce McKinney of Overland Park, Kan., president and chairman of the chapter corporate board that is responsible for the debt, declined a request for an interview.

The MU Office of Student Conduct and the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX will investigate the incident, the university said in a news release.

�I am outraged and saddened to hear of this!� interim Chancellor Hank Foley said in a prepared statement. �The safety and security of our campus is our No. 1 priority; the University of Missouri is committed to fostering an inclusive campus environment where all students, faculty, staff and visitors can live, learn, work and feel safe.�

The university has �zero tolerance� for racist or sexist behavior, Foley said, and students who violate MU�s code of conduct or nondiscrimination policies will be disciplined, up to expulsion.

Delta Upsilon International Executive Director Justin Kirk said in a prepared statement that the temporary suspension would continue during the investigation.

�Racism and sexism have no place in our fraternity and we expect our members to be positive contributors to inclusive campus environments,� Kirk said.

Leaders of the legion and other black MU students posted on Twitter a call for all black students to wear black for the rest of the week.

The news release included criticism of police who responded, saying some officers �attempted to control members of the Legion as opposed to controlling those yelling out of the windows.� The release said an officer used �excessive verbal force� toward a legion member �WITH his hand on his gun.�

None of the students involved has made a direct complaint to the police about how the situation was handled, Weimer said. Because of the statement in the news release, he said, the MUPD administration will review the officers� actions.

This story was first published online on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 11:57 a.m.