“These kinds of measures go against everything the university stands for and go against the spirit of competition,” the statement said. “We can and will do better as a campus community where there is no place for hate, prejudice, or bigotry.”
The student who filmed the video – who did not want her name to be revealed – said she is Mormons and gets used to people who make anti-Mormon comments, but she wondered, “When Is It Time to Include Mormons in Religious Acceptance?”
She said the chanting happened at least five times.
“I wouldn’t say it made me emotional,” she told CNN. “It was like in my head, ‘This, that’s not true,’ and our society still seems to think it’s okay to make fun of Mormons and… I’ll say something.”
The Oregon Pit Crew, a student-run Twitter account for the university’s student department, has issued its own apology.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown (Democrat) condemned the chant as “unacceptable.”
“In Oregon, we strive to be a welcoming and inclusive state for everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, or background. Our state and nation have an ugly history of discrimination and bigotry. The cheering at the Oregon-BYU game yesterday was unacceptable,” she said in a tweet on Twitter.
Before the game began, the BYU team exited the tunnel with an Oregon flag bearing the name and number of Oregon player Spencer Webb, who died in July after suffering a head injury from a climbing accident.
BYU was founded in 1875 by the second president of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young. The university is supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and nearly all of its students are Mormons.
Saturday’s incident will be investigated, according to Chris Winter, Oregon’s interim vice president for the student life division.
“We call on our students and the campus community to refuse to accept or tolerate this type of behaviour,” she said in a statement.
CNN’s David Williams contributed to this report.
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