The University of Illinois is investigating a fake e-mail that was sent throughout campus over the holiday weekend.

The e-mail, purportedly from Chancellor Richard Herman, calls the recruiting activities of fraternities and sororities "aggressive."

It states that the organizations "perpetuate social inequality, especially with respect to the opposite gender, and promote a lack of diversity."

The e-mail is signed "GDI Richard Herman." GDI is a common college acronym for a "(expletive) independent" – a student who does not belong to a fraternity or sorority.

"While this was obviously a prank, the next one might not be as obvious," said Robin Kaler, the UI's associate chancellor for public affairs.

Today Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services, or CITES, is tracking the source of the message and meeting to determine how to prevent people from doing something similar in the future, Kaler said. CITES is also trying to determine how many people received the message.

The message was sent by the e-mail account, chancellor<@>illinois.edu. The Office of the Chancellor has that account, but it was not sent by the chancellor.

The university is not sure whether the e-mail was sent by a student, staff or faculty member.

If the university can find out who sent the message, administrators do intend to discipline those behind the hoax, Kaler said.

"It certainly is a violation of many university policies," she said.

Rush begins this week.