TKE: NCSU: 3/17/05 charges dropped
 

03.01.2005 / news / Greek Life
TKE under hazing investigation
Posted: 03.01.2005
Rebecca Heslin

Greek Life is investigating Tau Kappa Epsilon for allegedly hazing members of its fraternity early Sunday morning, according to University officials.

Although Tim Luckadoo, associate vice chancellor of student affairs, said he could not divulge the details he received about the incident, he stated "it's a story thats very different than anything we've ever heard."

According to Luckadoo, Director of Greek Life John Mountz was on campus early Sunday morning investigating the incident and notified him.

Jason Rebucci, president of TKE, said there was originally a branch of the police involved in the off-campus incident before Campus Police were notified.

"It's being classified as hazing but there's nothing that says that this is hazing," Rebucci said. "It wasn't a planned fraternity event, and it wasn't related to the fraternity."

Jeff Skalka, president of the Inter Fraternity Council and a member of TKE, confirmed that Greek Life is indeed investigating the reports, though he declined further comment.

"I'm taking more of the brother position than the IFC president position," Skalka said.

Luckadoo added that hazing can include anything from "forcing someone to wear a specific hat to forcing someone to jump in Lake Wheeler blindfolded."

"[This situation] is very bad," Luckadoo said. "Not bad in the way that anyone was physically harmed, but it was something very risky that could have had something bad happen. There's a kind of twist on this one."

Dropped
 

technicianonline.com / 03.17.2005 / news / Greek Life
Hazing placed on trial; TKE suspension dropped

Rebecca Heslin

The Campus Cinema was nearly filled to capacity last night by members of Greek organizations -- and it's not even Greek Week yet.

Thirty percent of each Greek organization was mandated to attend the event "Hazing on Trial" sponsored by Greek Life. In the last two years alone, five fraternities have been suspended because of hazing, according to Shelly Brown Dobek, associate director of Greek Life.

National Hazing Prevention Week is scheduled for Sept. 26-30, but due to the influx of fraternities suspended for hazing on campus, the event couldn't wait any longer, she said.

The last fraternity temporarily suspended pending hazing charges was Tau Kappa Epsilon. That suspension has since been lifted and the Office of Student Conduct is not issuing any charges, according to John Mountz, director of Greek Life.

Dave Westol, the executive director to Theta Chi fraternity and keynote speaker at "Hazing on Trial," delivered a fiery speech about the negative aspects of hazing in the Greek community.

"If hazing truly worked, our hazing chapters would be the best," Westol said. "Instead, they're the worst."

Westol went on to compare the mentality fraternity members have about their pledges to being "human PlayStations," by explaining that brothers have fun at the expense of the pledges.

"Hazers are not complete people," Westol said. "Hazers lie."

According to Westol, the entire pledging process is a lie if hazing is involved. He said that when a brother that hazes tells a pledge he will always be there for him, he only means he'll be there until he hazes him.

"I love fraternities and sororities -- it's my job," Westol said. "But I know this -- every case I've seen in hazing is lacking that one person to stand up and say it's wrong."

While the fiery nature of the presentation got the attention of the audience, some disagreed with Westol's tactics.

"Yelling at a group of college students doesn't seem like the best way to solve a hazing problem," Kelly Schwartz, a junior in communication, said. "He tried to get through to the audience by yelling, yet that's what he was criticizing fraternities for doing to their pledges."

While the growing number of hazing incidents on campus do seem to have students concerned, everyone agrees that the solution to the problem will be no small feat.

"Hazing has become a pressing issue on campus that needs to be addressed in order for Greek Life to improve," Tyler Helikson, a sophomore in communication, said. "[Westol] made some examples that hit home with a lot of Greek organizations, however noticeable change is going to take time."

Westol concluded by explaining that hazing hasn't changed much over the years and it's going to take people stepping up and admitting that hazing is indeed wrong for a change to take place.

"One of the casualties of hazing is that you think it's a secret -- it's not," Westol said. "You're dumb if you think it is."

hahahah NCSU is such a joke

they suspended those guys for no reason, found there was no hazing involved and then had to drop the charges. made the administration look like asses in the end.

i know some guys that are TKE there and its a shame that the school put them through this (considering my chapter has been through the ringer before as well). but there was nothing to prove, because what happened was never hazing to begin with.