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-   -   Suspension Appealed (Hazing), Newspapers Stolen (Chapel Hill - Sigma Chi) (https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=82812)

exlurker 11-30-2006 05:52 PM
Suspension Appealed (Hazing), Newspapers Stolen (Chapel Hill - Sigma Chi)
 
The Sigma Chi chapter at Chapel Hill is appealing its suspension. When the story of the suspension was printed in the student paper, several thousand copies of the paper were stolen, Sigma Chi has admitted to the thefts and has reportedly agreed to make a payment to the paper:

http://rdu.news14.com/content/headli...=95345&SecID=2

As in similar cases at other schools around the country, the theft of the papers virtually guarantees wide coverage of the whole story. In this particular situation, too, the fame and high reputation of the university just add to the likelihood that the story will get heavy play in the news.

http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/me...epublisher.com

The News and Observer in North Carolina reports that Sigma Chi IHQ is looking into the hazing allegations:

The international Sigma Chi fraternity will look into the hazing in the next couple of weeks, said Mark Anderson, president of the Evanston, Ill.-based organization. "We have a zero tolerance of hazing," Anderson said.

http://www.newsobserver.com/161/story/516158.html

twotimestalia 11-30-2006 06:02 PM
Double trouble

LaneSig 12-01-2006 05:02 PM
Technically, if the papers are free, how can they be stolen? :o

tunatartare 12-01-2006 05:11 PM
Didn't the same thing happen with a ZTA chapter a little while ago?

LaneSig 12-01-2006 05:12 PM
And 2 years ago, my home chapter of Sigma Chi at Arkansas State University had the same thing. Hmm, maybe my guys told their guys at Workshop this summer....

Unregistered- 12-01-2006 05:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by KLPDaisy (Post 1365133)
Didn't the same thing happen with a ZTA chapter a little while ago?
It was a ZTA at Stetson

PhrozenGod01 12-01-2006 05:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365130)
Technically, if the papers are free, how can they be stolen? :o
The distribution is set up so that one person can get one paper during that day or week. There is kind of an honor system if people were getting two or three papers instead of one, but most free newspapers have a legal disclaimer stating that anyone removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted. I used to work at the Onion and learned a little about the importance of that law. Most free papers have to make money also. If no one sees the advertisements because a few knuckleheads decided to take 90% of them, major revenue is lost.

Unregistered- 12-01-2006 05:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhrozenGod01 (Post 1365137)
The distribution is set up so that one person can get one paper during that day or week. There is kind of an honor system if people were getting two or three papers instead of one, but most free newspapers have a legal disclaimer stating that anyone removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted. I used to work at the Onion and learned a little about the importance of that law. Most free papers have to make money also. If no one sees the advertisements because a few knuckleheads decided to take 90% of them, major revenue is lost.
Would newspaper theft be considered a form of censorship because technically the thief is denying others access to the press?

LaneSig 12-01-2006 05:26 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhrozenGod01 (Post 1365137)
The distribution is set up so that one person can get one paper during that day or week. There is kind of an honor system if people were getting two or three papers instead of one, but most free newspapers have a legal disclaimer stating that anyone removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted. I used to work at the Onion and learned a little about the importance of that law. Most free papers have to make money also. If no one sees the advertisements because a few knuckleheads decided to take 90% of them, major revenue is lost.
I know and understand. I was being ironic.

But, I am sure that if a lawyer wanted to argue that the papers are free and the boys took 'extra' he could. Probably all the way to the state Supreme Court.

My question: Did the paper try and contact the chapter president or advisor to ask for comments or their perspective? I know that in the case at ASU, the paper printed false information (they were unaware). When the chapter found out, they asked the editors to correct the information and received a "Well, that's the way we heard it." reply. That's what made a couple of our guys angry enough to go and try to remove the papers.

PhrozenGod01 12-01-2006 05:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by OTW (Post 1365139)
Would newspaper theft be considered a form of censorship because technically the thief is denying others access to the press?
Probably in some Orwellian/grassroots way. I don't know. I always thought authority figures did the censoring, while potential readers chose to not take in the information. This is more complex than I thought after reading the first post.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365140)
I know and understand. I was being ironic.

But, I am sure that if a lawyer wanted to argue that the papers are free and the boys took 'extra' he could. Probably all the way to the state Supreme Court.

My question: Did the paper try and contact the chapter president or advisor to ask for comments or their perspective? I know that in the case at ASU, the paper printed false information (they were unaware). When the chapter found out, they asked the editors to correct the information and received a "Well, that's the way we heard it." reply. That's what made a couple of our guys angry enough to go and try to remove the papers.

I never thought about that. Probably, if every brother involved got an equal amount of envelopes and stamps and claimed they were going to mail the their fraternity's "press release" to their brothers and family, they could technically just be sharing their "good news" with people. They just have thousands of family members for some reason. I've taken a plethora of campus newspapers when my brothers and I have been mentioned in it, but really only for good reasons. If the paper was to slander us in any way, I know I would "accidentally" spill my coffee all over a few newspaper racks.

Unregistered- 12-01-2006 05:51 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365140)

But, I am sure that if a lawyer wanted to argue that the papers are free and the boys took 'extra' he could. Probably all the way to the state Supreme Court.
I could see the guys taking a few "extra" if the issue contained an article about campus parking.

However, the issue contained a story about the Sigma Chi suspension and the content was enough reason for these members to take more than just extra.

LaneSig 12-01-2006 05:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhrozenGod01 (Post 1365141)
Probably in some Orwellian/grassroots way. I don't know. I always thought authority figures did the censoring, while potential readers chose to not take in the information. This is more complex than I thought after reading the first post.




I never thought about that. Probably, if every brother involved got an equal amount of envelopes and stamps and claimed they were going to mail the their fraternity's "press release" to their brothers and family, they could technically just be sharing their "good news" with people. They just have thousands of family members for some reason. I've taken a plethora of campus newspapers when my brothers and I have been mentioned in it, but really only for good reasons. If the paper was to slander us in any way, I know I would "accidentally" spill my coffee all over a few newspaper racks.

Now we're thinking alike!

Sailboat Sis 12-03-2006 06:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365140)

My question: Did the paper try and contact the chapter president or advisor to ask for comments or their perspective? I know that in the case at ASU, the paper printed false information (they were unaware). When the chapter found out, they asked the editors to correct the information and received a "Well, that's the way we heard it." reply. That's what made a couple of our guys angry enough to go and try to remove the papers.
The information the paper used had been posted on our Greek Affairs website the night before the article came out. Thus, the article was rewritten. I'm not sure what the first article was originally about since the court findings had not been released to the public.

Nevertheless, I believe they were trying to save face by stealing all of the papers. Obviously, the plan was not thought out very well.

shinerbock 12-03-2006 07:53 PM
Who cares.

LaneSig 12-03-2006 11:12 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailboat Sis (Post 1365699)
The information the paper used had been posted on our Greek Affairs website the night before the article came out. Thus, the article was rewritten. I'm not sure what the first article was originally about since the court findings had not been released to the public.

Nevertheless, I believe they were trying to save face by stealing all of the papers. Obviously, the plan was not thought out very well.
The case I was bringing up involved the Arkansas State chapter of Sigma Chi. My question still stands: Did the paper try to ask the chapter president or a chapter advisor for their perspective.

Understand, I think it was a stupid thing to do. I thought it was stupid when my home chapter pulled this stunt and now. No, the plan was not thought out at all.

Sailboat Sis 12-04-2006 01:53 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365850)
The case I was bringing up involved the Arkansas State chapter of Sigma Chi. My question still stands: Did the paper try to ask the chapter president or a chapter advisor for their perspective.

Understand, I think it was a stupid thing to do. I thought it was stupid when my home chapter pulled this stunt and now. No, the plan was not thought out at all.
I believe, that the chapter president was not contacted for perspective after the Greek Judicial Board's report became public. Like I said before, the newspaper was already running article, but it did not have the GJB's findings until about 10 pm the night before. What the initial article was about, I'm not sure.

Here's the link to the first article concerning their suspension: http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/me...epublisher.com

DeltAlum 12-04-2006 01:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1365850)
Did the paper try to ask the chapter president or a chapter advisor for their perspective.
If they were smart journalists, they did. If they asked the President, and he is smart, he referred them to the Chapter Advisor or his National organization.

For the most part, undergraduates don't have the experience to respond to the media. That's why even large corporations have spokespersons who have trained in how to respond to questions from reporters.

If the chapter, or members, really stole all of the papers, they're going to look bad no matter what they do.

TSteven 12-04-2006 08:49 PM
"Doug Dyer, president of UNC's branch of Sigma Chi, said the incidents have not deterred pledging."

"...branch of Sigma Chi" :confused:

It seems like the article's author can't even get something simple like chapter correct.

Sailboat Sis 12-04-2006 09:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TSteven (Post 1366346)
"Doug Dyer, president of UNC's branch of Sigma Chi, said the incidents have not deterred pledging."

"...branch of Sigma Chi" :confused:

It seems like the article's author can't even get something simple like chapter correct.
In addition to that, if I hear or read "frat" one more time, I will vomit.

tallgreekalum 12-05-2006 06:37 PM
So, SIS, I'm a little confused. They've been found guilty, but the appeal is the end of this week?? And they're on probation or suspended, but it would take action by the honor court to revoke their charter?

Also, if I were the president, I'd be keeping a little lower profile right about now, not boasting about going through with initiation.

Sailboat Sis 12-05-2006 11:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallgreekalum (Post 1366921)
So, SIS, I'm a little confused. They've been found guilty, but the appeal is the end of this week?? And they're on probation or suspended, but it would take action by the honor court to revoke their charter?

Also, if I were the president, I'd be keeping a little lower profile right about now, not boasting about going through with initiation.
Yes, after the hearing, the chapter was found guilty on a total of seven charges; however, they pleaded guilty on six of those charges. I believe that they pleaded guilty so that the penalties were lessened. This did not happen and the Greek Judicial Board gave them the harshest penalties ever handed down. This, coupled with what the fraternity believes was an improper investigation and penalties not permitted by the Board's by-laws are what led to the appeal.

Only UNC's Honor Court has the ability to take away a charter, as does Nationals. Currently our campus' judicial system separates the Greek Judicial Board & Honor Court, with each entity has its own by-laws. The big problem is that Honor Court can overrule GJB which can lead to double jeopardy.

LaneSig 12-06-2006 09:38 AM
Sailboat Sis -

Who makes up the Greek Judicial Court at UNC? Just curious. When I was in school at ASU we had a problem with the IFC judicial court. Unfortunately, not all chapters were represented on the board - so if the head of the judicial court's fraternity had allegations presented, they were always found 'not guilty' or a very, very light punishment handed down. If it was a chapter not represented, it was a very harsh penalty.

TSteven 12-06-2006 10:56 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailboat Sis (Post 1367093)
Only UNC's Honor Court has the ability to take away a charter, as does Nationals.
I don't think that UNC's Honor Court (or any such governing body) can "take away" a charter - only the chapter's IHQ. However, the Honor Court may be able to recommend that the chapter not be recognized by the university. And as a result, a chapter's IHQ might then suspend the charter.

tallgreekalum 12-06-2006 12:20 PM
Some schools "recognize", some schools actually issue charters.

Sailboat Sis 12-06-2006 01:24 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig (Post 1367245)
Sailboat Sis -

Who makes up the Greek Judicial Court at UNC? Just curious. When I was in school at ASU we had a problem with the IFC judicial court. Unfortunately, not all chapters were represented on the board - so if the head of the judicial court's fraternity had allegations presented, they were always found 'not guilty' or a very, very light punishment handed down. If it was a chapter not represented, it was a very harsh penalty.
Our Greek Judicial Board is composed of sorority women & fraternity men. I do not believe there is a quota how for many members from a particular chapter can be members. From what I have seen, I think that sorority women tend to issue harsher penalties in fraternity hazing cases, than when the majority of the court is fraternity men.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TSteven (Post 1367279)
I don't think that UNC's Honor Court (or any such governing body) can "take away" a charter - only the chapter's IHQ. However, the Honor Court may be able to recommend that the chapter not be recognized by the university. And as a result, a chapter's IHQ might then suspend the charter.
You're right my phrasing was off. Our Honor Court only has the ability to strip away University recognition. Most likely, however, this would result in losing a charter as decreed by IHQ.

TSteven 12-06-2006 07:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallgreekalum (Post 1367328)
Some schools "recognize", some schools actually issue charters.
I may have misinterpreted your statement, but some colleges actually issue (grant) the charter for a fraternity or sorority? How is that possible?

Frankly, I can't fathom any inter/national organization (headquarters) allowing any school to issue a charter on behalf of *their* organization.

tallgreekalum 12-07-2006 12:24 PM
A charter is a document authorizing a group to operate, to use the chartering groups name, etc. Northeastern University, for instance, issues a charter allowing ADPhi to use the university's name and facilities, etc.

TSteven 12-07-2006 08:49 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallgreekalum (Post 1367873)
A charter is a document authorizing a group to operate, to use the chartering groups name, etc. Northeastern University, for instance, issues a charter allowing ADPhi to use the university's name and facilities, etc.
That is what I mean by recognition by the university.

In your scenario, a chapter, colony or interest group of Alpha Delta Phi already existed. They existed because Alpha Delta Phi HQ granted the group a Charter (document) establishing it as an Alpha Delta Phi chapter, colony or interest group - not Northeastern University. Once this group was associated with Alpha Delta Phi (as either a chapter, colony or interest group) it requested the necessary documents (perhaps called a charter by the administration) from the university which would allowed this group (chapter, colony or interest group of Alpha Delta Phi) to use the university's name, facilities, etc.

tallgreekalum 12-08-2006 12:03 PM
I agree with you and most greeks customarily use the term "charter" to denote GLO recognition and "recognition" to denote School recognition, but not all.

MysticCat 12-08-2006 12:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tallgreekalum (Post 1368409)
I agree with you and most greeks customarily use the term "charter" to denote GLO recognition and "recognition" to denote School recognition, but not all.
Is there a GLO that does not use "charter" to denote GLO recognition (or more accurately, a GLO's organization of and grant of power to a chapter)? Just curious.


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