Dumb dumb dumb

[moe.ron]

Theft of Suspension Leads to Suspension

Quill, Jan/Feb, Vol. 90 Issue 1, P. 37

The University of Miami suspended two members of Alpha Epsilon Pi and placed a third on probation for stealing 9,000 copies of the campus newspaper that carried a negative story about the fraternity.

After the fraternity learned of a story that said its pledges made anti-Arab comments in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, most of the Oct. 5 editions of The Miami Hurricane were snatched from the campus, said Jordan Rodack, the editor in chief of the student newspaper.

"What would you do about these god-damned Arabs?" one pledge yelled into a video camera recording students' reactions to the attacks, according to The Miami Herald.

The Hurricane's story was based on a complaint filed against the student who made the slur and a subsequent investigation.

Upon learning about the negative article, several fraternity members decided to steal copies, which were valued at $5,000, the Herald reported.

[DeltAlum]

I suppose they figured the story/problem would just go away if nobody read about it.

Duh!

[freethinker]

As a former college journalist, I can tell you that's the absolute best way to make sure that your local newspaper will go the extra mile to make you look like a boneheaded frat boy no matter what you do...

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Hmmm....I would be interested in seeing the original article in the paper. I am assuming that they mentioned the pledge was a member of AEPi. That, in my opinion, is totally inappropriate. If he had pledged a non-Jewish fraternity, I'm sure it would not have been mentioned. I am not saying the guys had the right to steal the papers, but I have a feeling that their fraternity was unjustly portrayed to begin with.

[Kapsig1]

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Hmmm....I would be interested in seeing the original article in the paper. I am assuming that they mentioned the pledge was a member of AEPi. That, in my opinion, is totally inappropriate. If he had pledged a non-Jewish fraternity, I'm sure it would not have been mentioned. I am not saying the guys had the right to steal the papers, but I have a feeling that their fraternity was unjustly portrayed to begin with.

Man, I'd bet the odds that it would make the paper regardless of which fraternity the pledge was a member of. I agree that it was irrelevant, but at least the media is consitent in finding us guilty by association.

Of course, I wonder if the chapter disciplined him for his choice words; especially in light of the "GD" tossed around!


Brad

[FuzzieAlum]

Quite frankly, I'd RATHER see the chapter mentioned! If the rest of the Greeks are well-behaved, at least others will know who is screwing up and resorting to petty theft rather than assuming it's all Greeks.

And anyway, any story I've seen on fraternity misbehavior has mentioned which group it is, and this is the first time I've ever seen it be AEPi. (The AEPis on my campus were some of the least likely to mess around guys.)

[33girl]

I've seen some negative stories in college newspapers in my time, and I would like to know at what point in history it was decided it was a good idea to just steal the papers.

My ex wrote an opinion article in the paper that to put it mildly, had the campus on fire. I never heard of one single paper being stolen...instead letters to the editor were being written in record amounts, the paper was being read in record amounts, and the faculty advisor was ecstatic - not because the article had offended people, because young adults were excited about the news and journalism.

If someone writes someone in a newspaper that pisses you off, WRITE A LETTER AND LET THEM KNOW. An intelligent, thoughtful, grammatically stellar letter. Anything less makes you look like far more of an idiot than the story could have done to begin with.