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(Further looking reveals that Wintrhop has suspended three GLOs recently, including two for alcohol)
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Sigma Alpha Epsilon terminated
Fraternity members face hazing charges
by Lee Gray
January 23, 2005
___________ Most students got candy canes and chocolate in their Christmas stockings. Jeff Koontz, Sigma Alpha Epsilon president, received a letter announcing the termination of his fraternity.
____________ Winthrop announced that the university no longer recognized the Rock Hill chapter of SAE fraternity in a press release on Jan. 7. In a meeting with five former pledges, Winthrop officials found the 22-member organization in violation of the state hazing statute as well as university hazing policy. SAE is not able to apply for recolonization until 2008.
____________ Koontz said his mother stuffed the letter in his stocking thinking it was a congratulatory note to the newly inducted president. SAE changed leadership in late November.
____________ "The punishment for hazing is state law and it's a very serious offense because it involves a power dynamic where you have older students having power over younger students and controlling them. That's intolerable," Bethany Marlowe, dean of students, said.
____________ South Carolina state law defines hazing as physical assault potentially leading to injury as well as treatment "of a tyrannical, abusive, shameful, insulting or humiliating nature."_
____________ Similarly, Winthrop University policy defines hazing as "any action taken or situation created intentionally to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule." This includes excessive fatigue and physical and psychological shocks.
____________ Officials determined that SAE pledges were required to undergo physical endurance tests and prolonged sleep deprivation, both in violation of the hazing statute. None of the five pledges were physically injured during the initiation process.
____________ However, Koontz, senior sports management major, does not believe the punishment fit the crime.
_"The way hazing is defined is extremely broad. Little things got blown out of proportion and exaggerated," Koontz said.
The president also expressed concern that the fraternity was never informed of specific hazing violations.
____________ "All they've told us is that we're in breach of that [the hazing statute]. They haven't told us exactly what it was," he said.
__ Greg Badgett, SAE vice-president and senior sports management major, agrees that the university owes members more of an explanation. _
"We want to know what we've been accused of," Badgett said._
___________ "Red flags" were raised when university officials were notified that all five SAE pledges had dropped from the induction process. After talking with the pledges, university officials contacted the SAE national organization to assist in the hazing investigation.
____________ Ryan Weiers, SAE assistant executive director for this area, then contacted Jay Johnson, SAE alumni advisor, and Lee Leslie, housing coordinator who then made the decision to contact the leadership of the Winthrop chapter. SAE officers were notified of the hazing investigation before students left for the winter holidays.
____________ A meeting between the university and all members of SAE was scheduled for Jan. 6, four days before spring semester began. Marlowe said all in attendance already knew about the termination.
____________ "No one denied hazing but there was some concern that the university's sanctions were extreme," Marlowe said. "There's a no tolerance policy so we don't need to discuss degrees here. It's a 'you hazed' or 'you didn't haze.' There wasn't any discussion that that didn't happen."
____________ Marlowe added that SAE members wanted to appeal the length of the suspension but university policy does not allow student organizations the right of appeal, only individuals. _
"We want to go through disciplinary procedures," Jeff McDermott, junior integrated marketing communication major and SAE treasurer, said.
_"We just want our due process," Badgett added. "If other fraternities can go before the board, why can't we?"
_Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity was suspended in 2002 followed by Tau Kappa Epsilon in 2003, both for alcohol violations. However, Dustin Rawls, Greek Life coordinator for Winthrop says these incidents cannot be compared to the SAE hazing incident. _
"I think people are trying to compare apples and oranges," Rawls said. "We're talking about alcohol abuse versus hazing. These can not be compared to each other,".
_Rawls said he hopes other student organizations pay attention to hazing consequences.
_"When S.C. hazing laws have been violated in such an egregious manner that puts students' welfare, their freedom to live, learn and grow in the campus environment at risk, there is zero tolerance and I think the students need to know that."
_Consequences could be severe for individual members of the organization as they face parallel investigations by the university and police.
_According to Frank Zebedis, Winthrop chief of police, if members are criminally charged, they could face as much as a $500 fine and up to one year in prison. _
"We cannot charge an organization. We have to charge individuals," Zebedis said.
_University disciplinary sanctions could range from a warning to suspension to expulsion depending on individual circumstances. Marlowe said circumstances include severity, prior violations and precedent.
_Individual member investigations are currently underway.
_The national SAE organization convened this past weekend to determine the fate of the local chapter on a national level. SAE had not heard the results from this meeting as of Tuesday. The meeting will determine the fate of the letters on the Charlotte Ave. house. Eleven former members are still living in the house, though they were asked to move into university housing.
_"We're just going to go about business even if it's not SAE per se. We're still going to keep doing what we've been doing," Koontz said.
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