Sigma Chi Omega Suspended
 

Hi. Regarding your previous message to the University at Buffalo, we thought
you'd like to know that UB has suspended the Sigma Chi Omega fraternity
pending a University review of reports of hazing and student conduct
violations. The student members of these groups are cooperating with the
investigation.

The group has been featured in MTV's "Fraternity Life." The television
episodes began airing their 13 scheduled episodes on Wed., Feb. 26. MTV
contracted directly with the featured students, not with UB, and most of the
filming took place in MTV-rented residences outside the UB campus.

After viewing the first episodes, UB was concerned that some of the
students' actions may constitute hazing.

Although the school has received no complaints from participating students,
UB's long-standing policy is to suspend groups suspected of hazing, pending
a complete review, to protect students from any potential danger. UB defines
hazing as any action that produces mental or physical discomfort,
embarrassment, harassment, ridicule or impairment of academic efforts.

To date, all participating students remain students in good standing at UB.
During the suspension, all Sigma Chi Omega fraternity activities will stop,
including new member education and group-sponsored activities. The groups
will not be entitled to campus support or funding pending satisfactory
completion of the review.

If deemed necessary by the review committee, disciplinary actions will be
taken by the Student-wide Judiciary and University Police as appropriate.

A reminder: MTV contracted directly with the student organizations and the
individual students and all of the show content was directly controlled by
MTV. UB did not endorse or participate in the production. The University did
permit on-campus filming in an effort to provide a more balanced look at
student life. The shows were primarily filmed off campus, in pledge houses
that were not UB residences. The houses were rented, furnished and
maintained by MTV.

We remain hopeful that the overall impact of our students' participation in
these MTV programs is positive on both the students and the Greek letter
organizations. We are reviewing the content very carefully and interviewing
the participating students. UB will deal with abuses swiftly and
aggressively.

Thanks again for your feedback and feel free to contact me if you have any
further questions. Also, you may want to continue to check the sites below
for announcements related to this issue.

And we encourage you to contact MTV to express your concerns.


Sincerely,
Tracey Eastman

Who are you and why are you posting this message, it's been discussed at least 3 times elsewhere.

Sorry, but I don't support your thumbs up message regarding this decision, it doesn't make UB look very intelligent or fair if you ask me.

Congratulations on falling for the media trap and getting your names in the paper UB. This stuff happened last semester and now you want to get involved. Obviously if a semester has gone by and yet no one has even brought charges, you'll find a way to make up a reason to kick them out.

I hope these guys end up suing the school back for slander.

Not likely.

It's pretty clear from the one show and the promos I've seen that a lot of the stuff the fraternity does would be considered hazing almost everywhere.

If what is said is the truth, there can be no slander.

i know, you can't sue a school for anything basically. But it would be an amazing thing to see one school say "We're sorry." in the local school paper.

As much as I'd love to see a university admit to being wrong on something, this isn't the situation for it.

There's nothing to apologize for.
The truth is not slander.

Regardless of anyone's personal opinion of whether or not their activities constituted hazing, those actions clearly violate the university regulations regarding hazing. Sigma Chi Omega chose to violate those regulations on national television, and thus must take the consequences that result.

Life is full of choices. If you make the wrong choice, you must be ready to deal with what results.

Sigma Chi Omega made a wrong choice. Not necessarily by appearing on MTV (that's a matter of personal opinion). But by chosing to haze, they knew the consequences that would result.

What's the saying...... you've made your bed, now you have to lie in it?

Wow, there haven't even been charges set against them and you're already finding them guilty too... What they have done on television has NOT violated any hazing laws. If they did, then the university would have said so. They are on suspension pending an investigation.

They didn't do anything wrong, regardless of what your opinion of what hazing is and what it should include. Apparently the administration isn't the only ones out there that makes poor judgments. Why don't you point out the rule that has been broken, because honestly in all fairness I have yet to witness it. But I haven't seen all the episodes, so I could be eating my words later :)


- RUgreek

They may not have violated NY State rules, but they violated the university's policies.

another thread on this subject

Both the NY State laws and the UB rules are discussed her.
For the record, the UB rule (from their greek life homepage)
Statement of Hazing
Hazing is defined as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally,whether on or off fraternity premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities may include, but are not limited to the following: use of alcohol; paddling in any form; creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks, quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other activities carried on outside or inside the confines of the chapter house; wearing in public apparel which is conspicuous and not in normally good taste; engaging in public stunts and buffoonery, morally degrading or humiliating games and activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with fraternal law, ritual or policy or the laws and policies of the educational institution. "

Sig4eternity,

Are you Tracy Eastman?? If not, who is she/he? :confused:

Can this post please be deleted since other posts using full names without the person's permission have been deleted as well?

I don't know if sig4eternity is the person who's name is indicated in the original post. It looks like to me that individual is the UB Public Relations representative, or some other UB official...the letter is on their website.

Yea so? I've read that too and posted in the other thread, I still don't know what incident violates the rule.

waking them up in the middle of the night, making them clean the fraternity house, making them do pushups...take your pick

I think the fraternity should claim to be actors in a fictional TV show. I don't see how UB could prove otherwise. The house on the show was actually rented and maintained by MTV.

Considering that numerous former Real World participants have gone on record as saying scenes were set up and they were asked to repeat things they said so the sound guy could catch it all (not exactly "spontaneous"), this might actually work.

If they were asked to repeat things they said, would it really be a "set up scene" if they said those things in the first place?

Sorry, I guess that wasn't clear.

I meant that sometimes they would really say this or that and then would be stopped in the middle of the action by a sound guy saying something like "we didn't get that last part, can you scream at them again?"

In addition to being asked to repeat things they did truly say, there were other scenes completely fabricated by the directors for continiuity or "shock value."

The point is that the shows are far from "real" and SXO could easily argue that point.

Sorry, I don't think i'm being clear on my question. I've seen those things, and I've read the rule, but I don't have a match-up yet.

Which activity or "hazing" is being done and to which part of the rule does it specifically violate?

Thanks,

- RUgreek

Waking them up in the middle of the night = creation of excessive fatigue.

Now, you're probably not going to agree with that. That's cool.

The whole making them clean the house thing isn't specifically addressed in the policy, but it's still bullshit. "Clean my house and my mess"? Screw that. It's the brother's house, the brothers should clean it up. How does being someone else's maid contribute to understanding of their ritual, history or values?

I can agree that is one interpretation of excessive fatigue. But i'd be more towards saying that something that causes excessive fatigue is like overworking a person or something along those lines. Constant waking up and sleep deprivation is more "excessive" in my book.

well then, by your definition wouldn't forcing them to do pushups and cleaning for hours upon hours "cause excessive fatigue" ?

i wish i could talk to our girls there
i want to know what's the big deal with these groups
all they are doing is trying to get more people to join
which is going to be a big NOT!!!

I think they got what they deserved. You have to be stupid to have your lives (and your pledge process) put in front of the spotlight. They hazed, thus they should get punished

I guess it would depend on the excessiveness. We can play this game, but everyone has a different threshold for that. Making someone clean and do pushups for no reason is just stupid, but if it has a purpose then it becomes useful. Doing pushups everyday at the same time for 10 minutes could be classified as excessive, it's a matter of how you look at it.

Causing excessive fatigue, I don't know, hours upon hours with no break, with a toothbrush, standing on 1 foot, reciting the greek alphabet backwards.... maybe? I think you gotta look at each situation individually and make a call on it.

As long as there is no harm coming to these guys, then what's the problem?

Sigma Chi Omega Pledges Facing Charges for Prank
 

Buffalo News
March 27, 2003

BUFFALO ZOO
Fraternity prank may lead to charges

By TOM BUCKHAM
News Staff Reporter

The Buffalo Zoo will prosecute three University at Buffalo students
who apparently climbed into the facility after hours last fall in a
prank videotaped for "Fraternity Life," an MTV reality series.

Zoo President Donna M. Fernandes said Wednesday she will ask the Erie
County district attorney's office today to pursue charges against Tim
Kukulka, Earl Altheide and Steve Paul.

In an episode of "Fraternity Life" scheduled for broadcast Wednesday
night, the Sigma Chi Omega pledges were shown scaling a wall near a
zoo entrance and walking around between the hyena and roan antelope
exhibit near the center of the zoo, said Fernandes, who viewed a copy
of the tape after UB alerted the zoo to the incident.

The students talked briefly about stealing an animal as a mascot for
the fraternity house before one of them said, "This is dumb," and the
three climbed back over the wall, "got in Land Rovers supplied by the
MTV producers and drove off," Fernandes said.

It's uncertain whether the camera crew got into the zoo with the
students, although the activity in the segment apparently was shot
from outside, she said.

Entering a zoo after hours "is not only a danger to the animals, but
sometimes people get injured or killed," Fernandes said.

In 1985, police were forced to shoot two Buffalo Zoo polar bears to
death after an intruder climbed into their enclosure one night and
was mauled.

And in 1989, a Buffalo Zoo zebu - a pygmy Brahma bull - was put to
death after being severely beaten at night by an unknown assailant.

The decision to prosecute the UB students "was not made lightly,"
Fernandes said. "We are the stewards of this animal collection for
the entire community. We will take any and all steps necessary to
ensure the safety of our animals."

MTV has not responded to the zoo's complaints about the incident, she said.

The zoo will consider bolstering its nighttime security, which
includes officers, maintenance workers and strategically placed
cameras, Fernandes added.

Kukulka, Altheide and Paul were subpoenaed March 18 to appear before
the Student-Wide Judiciary, according to the Spectrum, UB's student
newspaper.

Altheide told the paper that the incident had nothing to do with
pledging and that the three brothers sneaked out of the house in the
hopes of stealing a chicken from the zoo to keep as a pet.

The three left after realizing they could not get into any of the
cages, Paul told the Spectrum.

"It's not like we were harming the animals or anything," he said. "We
were just, like, patrolling the zoo."

Sigma Chi Omega already is in trouble with UB over earlier scenes
from the MTV series. The chapter was suspended earlier this month
after university officials decided some activities caught on film
might be hazing.

Copyright 2003 The Buffalo News.

Re: Sigma Chi Omega Pledges Facing Charges for Prank
 

I saw the show last night. It was stupid to think you can steal a animal and use it for a mascot. now I seen everything:mad:

This may be off the topic, somewhat, but are the DZO sisters in the same trouble as their male counterparts? The girls look like they are being hazed as well, or am I the only 1 who thinks that? I was just wondering if any of you UB people out there knows of any trouble the girls may be in.
Thanks!
Sending warm thoughts from sunny South FL,
C
;) :D

I watched DZO for about 10 minutes and all I could think of was the potential hazing infractions and what would have happened if they were a NPC sorority. There may have been better segments in the episode but that was enough to turn me off!

i haven't heard anything as of yet about DZO getting in trouble. i don't think they did, but they should.
as soon as i saw that part of the show last night when they climbed over the fence, i had a feeling they were going to get in trouble. they basically just committed breaking and entering on camera, giving evidence of their idiocracy.

shelley j
sigma k

:rolleyes: I don't think DZO is in any trouble unless SXO presses charges, which I doubt is happening. Come on, this is a PRANK, not grand theft auto. One of the fraternities stole our clock once and we certainly didn't press charges for a $10 kitchen clock, it was a joke.

i ment i thought they should get in trouble for hazing, not stealing. the boys had that coming. but the hazing on both sides is uncalled for. if one gets in trouble, they both should.

shelley j
sigma k