composite snatching gone wrong
 

the other night, some of our girls managed to snatch the composite from our favorite fraternity's house. we sent them a picture of us with it so that they knew it was us and the the omposite was safe. all fun and games - until some of them overreacted.
instead of calling to say it wasn't a joke to them, they planned to get it back. we found out about the plan (time and all) from several sources, so were ready.
as they surrounded the house at midnight, and one rang the doorbell. we didnt answer since some of the started to get riled up. some then proceeded to throw trach around and make a mess of the yard.
after trying to calm them down, they left (planning to come back later). after talking to the president (a really good friend), i decided to take the composites back to their house and talk to them.
i tried to explain that it was in fun and that we only did it to them cause we love them - we would have laughed if they did it to us. well, some of them were so riled up that they weren't listening. the one that got them riled up and i then went and talked privately. i finally got through to him our intentions and why we didnt just answer the door.
we came to the agreement that those of us that actually took the composite (cause it was not a chapter decision)would apologize to their chapter and the guys involved would apologize to us.
so now we're waiting for things to cool down - esp since all of this happened in less than 24 hrs. i know that a lot of the guys thought it was fun that we took the composite cause they were joking when they found out.
so i dont know what else to do. i think they have a better understanding, but i dont want to let this ruin the closeness of our chapters.

That's too bad that the guys got angry. I guess this is just another example of how campus's vary...at Nebraska, composite stealing happens all the time, and it's no big deal. Usually the house has to go sing in order to get their composite back.

They get their composite's back decorated with magazine clippings of various sexual innuendos, all in good fun.

Composite stealing should only be a fun thing and it's unfortunate that some guys could handle it.

Ive never heard of a sorority stealing a fraternity's composite. There is one fraternity on my campus that is known for stealing composites and prides themselves on having one from each fraternity. Because of this, many houses (mine included) have their composites screwed into the wall so they can't be taken. Last year, a few pledges from this "composite snatching" fraternity got caught trying to steal Phi Delt's composite and got their asses kicked by two football players. That stuff just doesn't fly here (composites are expensive man!)

you have to understand our intentions. this wasnt a random fraternity - these guys have become our brothers in the last year. they knew full well that we weren't going to damage it or keep it. they would have had it back in a few days. it was just friendly rivalry - like them attacking us with water balloons at 2am while we were doing our teeter-totter-a-thon.

I thought composite stealing between fraternities and sororities was the norm on most campuses. I know it happens here and at the University of Minnesota.

It's weird that they overreacted like that.

Here at Mizzou it's definitely the norm-
Sororities do it just as much, if not more than fraternities. You decorate w/clippings and then bring back.
It used to be that you had to 'secretly' steal them, but a bunch of sorority houses got broken into last year so Panhel and IFC created a rule saying you have to ring the doorbell and ask nicely.:rolleyes:

it happens.... more the sororities stealing the fraternities on our campus at least. The guys seem to get the cheaper version.

We live in suites, each sorority having a floor. Our composities are prominently displayed in the hallway as you step off the elevator. I know the last one that I remember writing out a check for (I was treasurer) was upwards of $1000.

There had been some stealing going on last year- sororities stealing from other sororities, but it wasn't anything that could be qualified as all in good fun. When you never get things back.....

It can get out of hand though. One fraternity on our campus broke in, stole all of our awards and trophies. They kept them for around a year until we found out by way of someone that a brother worked with. We then sent the police to collect them because they denied having them. We got them back and the other group claimed they were going to have a football game and give them back then.. sure.

I think it's pretty common at my school, although I could be wrong. If I remember correctly, certain sororities would "raid" certain fraternities (I think they were chosen and may be different every year). During these "raids" water balloons are thrown, shaving cream and toilet paper is involved, and other items that are generally quite harmless. Composites are taken, but it's almost as though they let us have them. They fight back, but it's all in a fun, loving way.

How do they get their composites back?
They have to serenade the house, usually during Monday meetings.

It really is a good time. There really is nothing to get upset about when you know there is some sort of system to it. People are not out to get other people and/or their belongings.

In fact, click on the link and you'll see a photo of some Sigma Kappas from The University of Arizona preparing to "raid" a fraternity.

http://www.uasigmakappa.com/uask/html/photos.html

In the past four years, we've never had any composites stolen from any of the organizations on our campus (I don't know about before that though). We also don't have houses. Our composites are kept in our offices in the student center, which we share with another Greek organization (which would make stealing them that much easier).

We just prank each other here. One of the fraternities moved a sororities desk out of their office, toilet papering happens a lot to the homes and cars of other Greeks. A few of my sisters and I had planned on stealing a statue from one of the fraternities while they were gone for initiation and taking him to our formal, but that got screwed up when two of the sisters in on the plan got drunk and told the guys they weren't allowed to take the statue with them.

There's nothing wrong with pranks, as long as EVERYONE knows that it's all in fun. If these guys are going to get mad, then don't prank them again. And likewise, if you aren't willing to accept the repercussions, then don't prank.

It's funny because a similar situation just happened to me too! The fraternity that we're close with at Wabash just got their new composite a few weeks ago and we decided last night to drive up there and get it. They had the composite in their locked trophy room so we asked their president to unlock it for us and he not only unlocked it but helped us to carry it to the car! We left a note on the wall where the composite would be hanging if it had been on the wall about how we'll return it unharmed on Thursday.

We got back to Butler and apparently the ex boyfriend of one of the girls who stole the composite found the note and blew it all out of proportion and now there's all this drama about it. We're returning it tonight because a few brothers in the house want us to be banned from the house! :eek: Two of the girls who took the composite are currently dating brothers in the house and two of us are "talking" to guys in the house. We have enough of the guys on our side about it just being a joke but there's three brothers who are extremely angry about it.

It's just weird because here at Butler it's all about stealing composites. You half the time can just walk in and walk out with no one even caring. Last year as a joke we called Sigma Chi and asked for them to bring their composite down to us, and they did! :D I just think people need to realize it's a joke...we weren't going to keep the composite or break it!

Jess

We've never had a composite stolen, as far as I know (well, I've heard a vague rumor it may have happened once years ago but I don't know that for sure), but we have a bench on our front porch that the ATOs, who live across the street from us, steal at least once a semester. Even after we painted it bright blue with our letters. None of us really mind as long as we get it back. I think it's funny--it always goes on their roof, which as far as I know is where it is now. We've never stolen anything of any fraternity's, though.

Friendly Pranks
 

At my school, we have a commuter campus and we don't have "official" houses, we have an office-type situation where we each have our own suite. Most the time the doors are unlocked, and even when they are, it's possible to climb through the ceiling and get into the other offices. People don't take composites, matter of fact, we are the only one out of the 4 that have current composites, and those are pretty much left alone. There are other pranks that are done in good fun, and for the most part, no one gets mad. The general rule is don't deface, break, or keep whatever you take, just have fun and give it back sooner rather than later. Some of the other pranks include, sorority letters spelt out in feminine products on the walls of the fraternity suite, the kidnapping of the fraternity hooters calendar, missing pictures, spitwads on the composites, missing letters, re-arranged furniture, and my favorite (which is funny considering it was against us) The Phi Kappa Thetas took our 7 ft tall Hannah and kidnapped her for the weekend. They took her on an "adventure" and took pictures all the way. One of my favorite pictures is hannah sleeping under their flag with one of the boys. It's great ;-) But, she was returned and all was well. I do know that in the past, the other sorority took her, painted their letters on her chest, and then attached a plastic heart with their letters over that, so if we removed the heart, their letters were still there.....that, that wasn't cool. We're really close with one of the fraternities at another college in town and they DO have a house. We've often thought about pranking them, and raiding them, but it'll be difficult because we don't want to get them mad at us, so we're still trying to figure out something to do that's innocent fun. Any ideas for good pranks?
Greek Love and Mine,
Mandie:D

No composite snatching but there has been some flag snatching/not returning after greek week...grrr

Over here, composite-snatching is seen as normal. The composites always get returned, so it's all in good fun. We get outs stolen all the time, and we've done our share of stealing as well, but no one has ever gotten mad over it. Once, we had ours stolen in the middle of the night, which is quite a feat since all the sorority houses have doors that automatically lock (we all have to have keys every time we want to get in)--I mean, I was really impressed that the fraternity was able to devise a way to sneak in and get it without any of us hearing anything!

We never did this.

Composit stealing usually happens during homwcoming, but then it's not really limited to composites, it's whatever you can get your hands on. But it's pretty common over here as far as I know. We had a function this last weekend with our Homecoming partners for next year, and at the end, some of the girls grabbed the composite and took it back to our House where they hung it up on the wall. The next day, some of the guys just came over and got it back, no harm done, all in good fun. I think that it's a fun thing to do, personally. There's no harm done, and then you know what Houses just want to have some fun with your House.

Try the TV test
 

When you start thinking about stealing something ("to show your love" for the chapter), please also think about how it would look on TV (especially MTV).

Would it enhance your campus position with the IFC, dean, pres, trustees?

Will it help you attract more good members, if you showed the video of the theft on the campus TV the week of rush?

If you want to have fun, have a party.

Please think about how it would look on TV (especially MTV).

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I would hope the dean, president and trustees are concerned about more important matters than a little harmless borrowing. If not, your school has a major problem.

My question is - how on earth do you sneak those things out of a house in the big honking frames they come in?? I mean, it's not like you can stick it under your shirt.

Well, at The University of Arizona it's a common thing to raid the fraternities at the beginning of the year. Not every sorority raids every fraternity. I believe it's set up by the Presidents.

So, they know we're coming. And like I stated earlier, they sort of let us take them. They don't want to fight us b/c then the composites might break. So, we take them, meanwhile stealing other things, pouring shaving cream on them (the guys) and all over the house, etc, etc.

Then they serenade the house and their belongings are retumed to them, safe and sound.

It's all fun and games...and no one gets hurt.:)

During pledging all four sororities have banners hanging in the student square and pledges end up guarding them because fraternities try to steal them. We even had several backup banners for when they did get stolen. Our origional got snatched and we still don't have it back. Things got out of hand when some fraternity pledges broke into one of my pledge sister's room and stole her binder that had all her DZ books and constitution rules and such. Our sisters got really mad because they broke into her room and went through her belongings. That wasn't cool.

It usually takes 2 or 3 girls...we just haul it down the street through Greektown or into someone's pickup.

As far as it looking good on tv, this confuses me......would composite stealing really look bad???? Wow it's SO not a big deal around here.....unless you're talking about actually breaking into someone's house. In that case, yeah that would be bad news.

Our campus it's not composities, it's charters that get stolen. There's 2 sides to that...

1) It's your charter so it's more valuable, and it can piss people off

BUT...

2) Some campuses composites don't get returned...obviously charters get returned. Our's hasn't been stolen for a long time...but that could be because it's bolted and built into to the wall in a fire-proof case with shatter resitaint glass. Nationals are going to have a hell of a time when they come for it... oh well..

to answer questions on how we did it - it takes lots of planning. we actually did it while a lot of people were around - we just distracted all of them as two girls took it to the car.

and on a good note - the guys have cooled down. everything had happened so fast the other night, but almost everyone is ok now - there are only 2 that are still upset. we've all agreed that both sides were originally out to have fun and that it got out of control.
we had greek awards tonight and we all cheered for each other and we talked and hugged afterwards. it was so nice to know that we hadnt lost them.

Being a new initiate this year, I don't know how often compostie stealing happens. I would guess that between frat/soror it would be okay, but the only example I know of wasn't good...

Our house and Beta Theta Pi have this sort of unspoken "dislike" for each other due to events that happened before I got here. (Apparently one of the members who was initiated here left and went and joined Betas... and to make it worse, he refuses to pay his outstanding house bill for the entire Spring '02 semester...)

Anyway, The night of our founder's day we were celebrating by holding a costume party (of course, it was Oct. 31, so a costume party made sense), and we were all having a "good time"

One of our members heard someone banging around in our dumpster. When he went to investigate, he found out that a couple of Betas had stolen the Farmhouse composite (from 198o-something) and smashed it up. They had intended to leave it in our dumpster that way for us to take the blame.

One of our members caught them, tackled them, and got his name. (we didnt know they were Betas). He gave us fake names for him and his friends. They thought they were off the hook, but the member who had tackled him was in one of his rescitations. He discovered his name while tests were being handed back and called up Farmhouse to let them deal with it.

I couldn't tell you what happened from there. The people involved were in some serious trouble (they had smashed up the composite already). We ended up pairing with Farmhouse this spring and won Greek Week.

I'm almost tempted to go out and steal one now. I wonder if the Alpha Gams or ADPi's leave their door's unlocked... (It's okay, they love us here. ;)

erm.... Go Cyclones.

-Sean

This is fun?:(

I wnet down to the Chapter one night (2) hour drive and find out that someone broke into the House and stole the Composit of the Local That I started. I was livid. They new who took it as someone saw it happen.

When I got home Sun. I e-m the Local AB Chapter and Their National.

I plainly stated, that if the Composite was not returned immediately, I would file charges.

Well, We got the composite back with the glass broken and the AB members suspended.

This is fun, it is stupid! These things no matter what are Treasures of that Organization. They cost money for that Chapter. Normally, any theft over $50.00 is a felony! Da. They can get damaged, and all are irreplacable.

Use you noggins, not your whorimones.

Jeez, We as Greeks are under the gun enuff and the press gets wind of it, Shit City in the press.

TAF,