ZTA under investigation at Georgia State
 

A letter from a member was sent to the Dean of Students stating that hazing and other activities are happening
http://www.gsusignal.com/mobile/news...tion-1.2703877

Those are some crazy allegations. The "sex toy" party, IMHO, is totally within the bounds of a chapter to organize. I've known other chapters to hold these types of parties. They are more over the top funny than scandalous. These are adult women and their sexuality is their own business. Throwing that in to this letter and article was meant to shame the chapter, I think.

I agree. As long as members weren't forced to go, I don't see the problem with the toy party.

Unfortunately, Kitchen Sink strategy seems like a good idea to some people when sticking to the facts of actual punishable activity would make your argument a lot more effective. Once they can start saying "and what does that have to do with the price of rice in China?" you've lost a lot of your battle. I hope for their sake that this girl is just a wingnut and that most of this is not true.

Some of this sounds a lot more like bad TV than real life. I have never been asked, nor have I asked any woman to show me her boobs. Am I wrong or is that pretty much limited to male fantasies of naked pillow fights?

not to mention that the article makes it sound like the province president is directly involved with that GSU chapter alone, which is not the case. In ZTA, a province president is sort of a "middle manager" who is over several collegiate chapters. The local alumnae directly supervise the collegiate chapter and they answer to the province president. The province president answers to one of the vice presidents collegiate(who are part of our national council).

and the sex toy party and showing their boobs? sounds more like some college guy's fantasy.

*Steaming, begin rant:*

Any time that someone publishes an "allegations" post, my blood BOILS.

It's being investigated. Will you come back here and post the findings when the investigation is complete?

What sticks in peoples' brains is the initial story, and unfortunately, all too often that story proves to be incorrect or totally false.

There isn't a chapter out there on any campus who couldn't be "accused" of something, and frankly, it irritates me that we pay any attention whatsoever to "allegations."

I posted today about a fraternity on my campus being closed; the fraternity had been investigated internally as well as by the Dean of Students and Office of Greek Life. That was verified and the fraternity had been "shuttered" prior to my ever posting a word. I didn't post anything about "allegations" because WHAT IF THEY HAD BEEN DISPROVEN? I would have smeared the fraternity's name erroneously.

Please, people, please: think before you post an "allegations" charge.

*still steaming, end of RANT*

I posted the link and yes I will follow the story. If the allegations turn out to be false I would gladdly post the article. I posted this because it is the first time I have heard of a member in a position of power go to the Dean of Students and not their national board. If the member were in a position of power shouldn't she have known to go to the her nationals. Hopefully it turns to be false.

Indeed.

What? Your justification doesn't make sense. The letter is anonymous. How is it that you know a memeber in a position of power wrote it? I'm pretty sure anyone can send an anonymous letter to the Dean of Students. I could make up an anonymous letter and send it to the Dean of Students.

In the letter towards the end she states she has a position within the chapter.

"At this time I cannot give my name for fear of what some of the sisters might do to me if they found out that I was the one who reported them. I am also a leader within Zeta and my hopes are that I will be able to make a difference, and if my sisters feel betrayed then I do not think they will support me or even talk to me for that matter"

Regardless, they are allegations, and the letter writer could easily be making up that fact as well.

It is not Panhellenic to cast shade on another organization, IMO. There's no positive point to it.

It's pretty easy to claim to be the President of the United States in an anonymous letter. I don't believe it came from inside the ZTA chapter any more than I believe that the moon is made of blue cheese. A leader in the chapter WOULD know that any of these allegations would best be handled by addressing them to her chain of command in ZTA. I call BS.

Wait, why is this post any worse than the rest which are posted in this section? That's what this part of GC is for.

Again, anyone could have written that to the GSU Dean of Students. Just because it says so in an anonymous letter, doesn't make it true.

Here's what I copied from Kevin's (moderator) sticky (bolding mine):

"Use your judgment as to what to post. As always, I'll make a best effort to review these threads and sanitize as needed. Please try to make my job easier by not posting anything you don't know to be true in the first place."

A sensationalized account in a newspaper =/= a verified account of what is known to be true in the first place. Anyone can write a complaint letter. I am asking that some discretion be exercised when posting an unverified allegation that hasn't been investigated.

I'll stand down if I'm wrong or mistaken in my interpretation of Kevin's sticky.

FWIW: I don't have a dog in this fight, it's not my chapter, I have never been to Georgia, I don't actually know any ZTAs personally although I met three at a Panhellenic fundraiser last Saturday and they were all lovely.

It is my opinion that the intent of that sticky was to discourage and prohibit posts like "I heard the Alphas at FAMU are hazing their pledges" - posts we used to get with regularity.

The original post links to an article from a media source, rather than originating from a poster.

It was not my intention to post anything that is not from a credible source. I did not make up the story but read it from a newspaper article. The article says the chapter is being investigated. I have posted other links that say other chapters are being investigated.

Dear Sen,

thank you for the GC "history" lesson/explanation, and I will take that into consideration.

The news source citation leads to an anonymous letter in an article in a university student newspaper. I'm frankly surprised that they even published it, or got their hands on it in the first place, as this should be an internal investigation, should it not? However, I'm not familiar with the workings of their institution. I do know that at the University of Arizona, nothing would be published or public until the DOS and/or Office of Greek Life had completed their investigation(s) (see my thread started this morning about a fraternity closure at my campus).

kind regards,
AzTheta

But come on Flirt, an anonymous letter is not a credible source and none of the allegations have been proved yet. It sounds too much like the anonymous writer had an ax to grind with the chapter, and sent this letter. Most of the chapters I have worked with have no problem going over their advisors' heads to talk to the Province President, so I too have a hard time believing that the anonymous writer is a leader in the chapter and had no idea that she could contact her advisor, her Province President or a National Council Officer.

It would have been more prudent of you to have posted something factual(and I don't consider an anonymous letter credible or factual), rather than what you chose to post. If any of these allegations are proven to be real, then by all means post it, if that floats your boat.

What I find most interesting about the credibility of the article is the editor's note: a staff member is a former ZTA.

Interesting, indeed! Did the the University release the letter to the student newspaper or was it obtained by other means?

It is news. Get off her back.

She didn't post the letter. She posted a link to an article that discusses the letter.

Yep. And that article specifically says that the paper hasn't been able to independently verify anything in the letter.

Whether the paper should have reported on the letter, or posted it (in redacted form at least) is another question. But it did, and it reports that an investigation is indeed happening. I think that makes it appropriate for this forum.

it is conjecture.

Agreed. :rolleyes:

Interesting how the posts about whether or not Flirt erred in posting the link greatly outnumber the posts about the original topic.

Yep.

Anonymous letters are a bunch of hooey.

Also agreed. This forum has always been a posting place for news. Once something is published/printed in a paper, it's news, whether or not the source the paper got the information from is as credible as some may like.

Regardless of the credibility of the accusations, the chapter is under investigation. That isn't in doubt, their national organization has confirmed it (unless someone is claiming that the student newspaper is just making that up). One of the paper's editors has been questioned by the Dean of Students. The University is treating this as legit. That makes it news, like it or not.

The thread title is that ZTA is under investigation. That is true. Nothing about this thread in any way violates the moderator's suggestion for forum use. It's not conjecture. And it's certainly not the OP's fault that the school is taking the letter seriously enough to open an investigation! Blame the paper and the school if you like, but don't blame OP for posting a link to an actual news story.

I agree 100%. Most all the threads in "Risk Management" have linked articles. Many of these are articles written prior to any guilty findings and could damage the group in question. The person who posted this did nothing wrong. Don't shoot the messenger.

"Former" being the word of most interest to me. Why "former"? Could she have an axe to grind? Inquiring minds want to know!