Hazing allegations at U of Nebraska

[LXAAlum]

From the Daily Nebraskan newspaper:

LINCOLN, Neb. -- It's true. A picture can be worth a thousand words.

But what exactly do you say when you receive an e-mail with a photograph showing the results of physical abuse to two men -- fraternity brothers, your boyfriends, your classmates, friends or acquaintances.

We sat in disbelief, some of us members of the greek system, others not.

We tried to rationalize the welts and large abrasions on the buttocks of the two men, who are both smiling.

Seven other men look on.

Four are holding beer cans.

One, who is holding a paddle with the greek letters delta and upsilon, is laughing and looking off to the side of the room.

Another man is looking at the two men who have their pants pulled down to their thighs.

Everyone else is looking directly at the camera.

We tried to make some sense out of what appears to be alcohol violations and hazing acts in a basement room of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity house on campus.

But no matter how hard we tried to comprehend how someone would allow themselves to be swatted with a paddle until their skin peeled off -- we couldn't.

It's not right, even if it is tradition.

A 1994 Nebraska law made hazing illegal.

Someone on this campus realized this and forwarded the e-mail anonymously six days ago to Linda Schwartzkopf, director of Greek Affairs.

A cowardly act, no.

A courageous one, yes.

We have heard from students this e-mail has been circulating among individuals within the greek system for the past month.

We commend the individual who got up enough nerve to bring the photograph to the attention of authorities.

To the rest of you -- 78 who received the e-mail from the same source as the Daily Nebraskan and we know there are more -- what were you thinking?

It's understood every greek chapter and greek system has their own unwritten code of ethics.

It's not brotherly or sisterly of you to tattle on a fellow member, you say.

This type of stuff goes on all the time and everyone in the house has to go through it, you add.

If this is the case, we wonder how severe the hazing, the binge drinking or the physical abuse of your brother or sister has to be before you and others acknowledge your actions are wrong.

If you don't, the results can be heartbreaking.

In late January, a former Sam Houston State University student sued Chi Omega Sorority for spiking her drink and having her sexually assaulted during the fall of 1999.

On Feb. 10, two 18-year-old San Diego State University freshmen died when their pickup crashed after they left a party at the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity house.

On Feb. 14, a 19-year-old University of Maryland student was removed from life support and died after he was found in the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity house, unconscious and in cardiac arrest.

All three incidents are still under investigation.

All three incidents may or may not have included hazing.

All three incidents could have been prevented or even stopped.

We don't want to assume hazing occurs at all University of Nebraska-Lincoln greek chapters.

But we do know Delta Upsilon Fraternity is in a lot of trouble.

To the men pictured in the photograph, it's unfortunate you and your brothers didn't realize the possible repercussions.

Quite literally, you've been caught with your pants down. The embarrassment, disciplinary action and possible loss of your campus charter plague no one else but you.

[dzrose93]

I read another article about this yesterday. I believe hoosier posted it (big surprise). Anyway, the guys that were paddled were Big/Lil Brothers and they paddled each other, voluntarily, as part of some kind of tradition.

I agree that paddling should have gone the way of the dodo a long time ago, and that it's a pretty stupid "tradition." However, considering the fact that it was an initiated brother who was paddled, I don't see how they can be calling it a hazing issue. Call it stupid, asinine, or fool-hardy. But not hazing.

[shadokat]

The story is horribly done. I mean, what does the death of a young man in Maryland, some stories by some wacko girl at SHSU and two folks who drove drunk have to do with paddling someone during a fraternity hazing event? Nothing, if you ask me. How they can compare the deaths of three students to that of some guys who couldn't stick up for themselves and say no to paddling if they didn't want to participate is demeaning to the students who died.

[James]

Well they are kind of reaching on this one . . . maybe it was more innocent?

Maybe the fraternity was taking digital pics for a web site devoted to sado-masochistic-homo sexual encounters?

Even if that were true they would probably rather have to deal with hazing allegations.

I am not sure how courageous it is to do anything anonymously. I am not againts it, I just don't know that is fits the definition of courage where you have to take the action you do fear the consequences.

I agree that they are reaching comparing three events they already said weren't proven as hazing with an event they are characterizing that way inadvance.

But seriously, any chapter that takes pics of that and let them circulate publicly (some guy probably showed them to a GF that later broke up with him) deserves to lose their charter based on stupidity alone.

[DeltAlum]

James is correct.

Here's the real problem, I think. The reason the other events are relavent is that they are all Greek related and all alcohol related. And they all make the entire Greek System -- everywhere -- look really bad.

Heck, we were lucky. There are several other occurances they could have noted from this year alone, without even mentioning "The V's." Bad journalism? Not necessarily. Background is an important part of reporting. Consider this: What if this story had been about the DU's doing some great philanthrophy? Wouldn't you applaud the same reporter for finding stories of other philanthrophy by fraternities whether on the UNL campus or not? You can't have it both ways. If you want to be painted with the same brush when something good is done, you have to be willing to take the grief when something bad happens.

While, in theory, under the strict letter of the law actives don't haze actives, this is still stupidity -- on several levels.

[LXAAlum]

I concur with both James and DeltAlum's perceptions on this...I also read somewhere else that "consent" is not an excuse for hazing. I think most hazing definitions don't make a distinction between initiated and non-initiated members either....

This is a public relations nightmare - the charter will most likely be lost as the logical consequence. A similar situation cost LXA their CSU charter over a year ago...allegations that could not be proved were raised, and, thanks to the media feeding frenzy when it comes to bad news with greeks, made the situation unwinnable.

Whoever participated in the picture, regardless of membership status, made SEVERE errors in judgement.

[Tom Earp]

Well said by ALL!

This is just another way for the Great White Shark to try and feed on the Bones/Bodys of the Greek System!

Shit runs down hill and I know at times I feel i am on the bottom of the food chain!

BUT WHY give them something that will spread like a wild fire in dry brush!

[33girl]

As far as him mentioning the "V"'s that for me, just shoots his credibility all to hell. Don't reference something just because it has gotten a lot of publicity, without researching what the ultimate end to it was. You can make yourself look like quite the unenlightened dork.

[DeltAlum]

33,

As I read it, though, the V's just filed suit about a month ago. Do we know an outcome?

I think this may be a new development.

It also appears to me that this is written as an editorial which gives the author a little more leeway.

[Betarulz!]

Since this is happening just down the street from me, I can say something about how much trouble this has caused for the Greek Community here.

First off, if you'd like to see the picture copy and paste this address into your browser.
http://www.geocities.com/skurz2001/du_boys_gettin__whacked.jpg

Second, I think the article included the other risk management situations in order to make it seem like that this is something that is inherent to greek life, and the fact that we don't hear about at Nebraska means that the Greek system is just good at covering it up. The Daily Nebraskan (campus newspaper) is notorious for being anti-greek for the most part. Anti-greek columnists (and there are several) will usually put out at least one anti greek column per semester, and the staff members who are greek seem not to be in positions of influence.

The biggest problem from the fallout of this is that DU was a respectable house, one that not many had problems with. The charges (they are far from allegations or accusations as the picture is to incriminating) have done a lot to discredit the reputation of the Greek system, particularly in our claims of not hazing. All of sudden when I say I wasn't hazed people are quick to question b/c DU supposedly didn't haze...

In the end more than anything else people are angry...

[HeidiHo]

My first though was "email picture? Like it's not edited". Unless someone has a hard 35mm. copy of this I don't know if I beleive it. Like a train wreck, I had to see the picture. I still have doubts at to authenticity but only from a sceptical what-if level.
33- I would be enraged if I was a XO at UNL. I'm angry all the way across the country. This writer seemed to want to drag other well respected names through the mud
Heidi