Beating=Potential big fines and jail time...

DeltAlum · #1 06-02-2002, 02:07 PM

Way over the edge...

I hope that nobody wants to argue that the punishment isn't deserved. It's just lucky we're not talking another pledge death here.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 1, 2002

6 SIUE STUDENTS ARE INDICTED IN INITIATION INCIDENT

By Paul Hampel And Alexa Aguilar Of The Post-Dispatch

* Fraternity pledge was beaten so badly at initiation that he was in
an intensive care unit for days, Madison County state's attorney says.

A fraternity pledge nearly died when an initiation paddling at
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in April turned into a
severe beating, said Madison County State's Attorney William R. Haine.

He alleged that Phi Beta Sigma fraternity members struck Prentice
Motley, 19, hard enough to rupture a kidney and put him in an
intensive care unit for several days. "(Doctors) were concerned about
his surviving," Haine said Friday at his office. "(The suspects) just
beat the heck out of him."

Motley has fully recovered, Haine said.

Every member of the six-man fraternity was indicted in connection
with the incident. Facing felony hazing charges are Deanthony A.
Moore, 22, of St. Louis; Richard Harris, 19, of Chicago; Frederick
James Spencer, 19, of Florissant; Malike A. Perkins, 22, of East St.
Louis; and Doue Carter, 21, of Edwardsville.

The men were also charged with perjury, a more serious offense, which
carries a prison term of up to five years. The hazing charges carry
terms of up to three years. Both offenses are also punishable by
fines of up to $25,000.

The other fraternity member, Christopher L. Conner, was charged with
misdemeanor hazing for allegedly paddling two other pledges, Jacob
Jenkins and Adedamola Oshin. Police said Jenkins and Oshin were not
seriously hurt. Oshin, however, also faces perjury charges.

"They told us there had been no hazing, not now, not ever," Haine
said. "Quite frankly, they all came in here and tried to hardball us,
as if we were just going to go away."

Authorities determined that Motley, of Decatur, Ill., had endured a
previous paddling at the hands of the fraternity brothers in March.
Both rituals took place at night in wooded areas on the campus,
authorities said. Motley's injuries came to light when his mother
complained to campus police.

SIUE officials suspended Phi Beta Sigma, an active group at the
school since 1985, from any campus activities pending the outcome of
the case. SIUE spokesman Greg Conroy said the fraternity brothers
might face expulsion under the school's code of conduct.

"We've had minor pranks in the past involving fraternities, but
nothing of this magnitude," Conroy said. "We consider this a major
violation."

Like all but one of the other 14 recognized fraternities and
sororities at the university, Phi Beta Sigma does not have its own
fraternity house on campus. Greek organizations at the school average
23 members, Conroy said.

At the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which has the only on-campus
house, one member came to the defense of the suspects on Friday.

"These are pretty positive guys, church guys," said Stephen Dunn, a
communications major who said his fraternity enjoyed a friendly
rivalry with "the Sigmas."

Each year, the two fraternities square off in an annual dance
competition called The Black Greek Marchdown. Phi Beta Sigma won the
marchdown in 2000 and last year.

"All fraternity rivalry aside, I can only say positive things about
them," Dunn said.

Bonds for the suspects ranged from $10,000 to $50,000. Two suspects,
Conner and Moore, posted bond on Friday and were released.

Copyright 2002 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.

Kevin · #2 06-02-2002, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Every member of the six-man fraternity was indicted in connection

I think that line shows you how blind these men were to the reality they faced. If your numbers have dropped as low as single digits you just MIGHT have a problem.

The way I see it the Greek community as a whole is evolving. The chapters that cannot adapt their practices to the fact that hazing will only lead to the loss of your charter (not to mention potential fines and jail time) will be gone. Those of us that can and have changed will eventually be all that's left.

It is my sincere hope that in 10 years this era of Greek Life will be behind us (maybe then our insurance rates will drop).

LHT
Kevin

Peaches-n-Cream · #3 06-03-2002, 12:05 AM

I really do not understand what was going on in their minds to behave this way. Decent "positive guys, church guys" do not treat people this way.

msbrowneyz · #4 06-03-2002, 09:27 AM

If these men did what they are being accused of, this is a pretty sad day in Greek life. I believe that one of the Divine 9 will be non-existent in a few years due to excessive law suits.

Senusret I · #5 06-03-2002, 10:20 AM

Active undergraduates in the single digits is not uncommon for many black and Latino based organizations.

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake

I think that line shows you how blind these men were to the reality they faced. If your numbers have dropped as low as single digits you just MIGHT have a problem.

starang21 · #6 06-06-2002, 05:17 PM

"Active undergraduates in the single digits is not uncommon for many black and Latino based organizations."

Depending on where you are. At predominantly white schools, black fraternities and sororities will not have a large group. However, you go to an HBCU, i've heard AKA's pledging like 140 girls. I'm not sure how you can "pledge" a group like that. At white schools, there is a small group of people to choose from. a lot of white people (@white schools) won't even consider pledging a BGLO or have never heard of them. and having a small group of bruhs doenst equate weakness. A small group of strong bruhs is better than large group of weak bruhs. people who were pledged can understand what went on, but if you had an easy process, then something like this is totally foreign to you.

DeltAlum · #7 06-06-2002, 07:00 PM

Starang21

Actually, as I recall, when I was in college in a 19000 student state school which was predominatley white, the AKA's and A Phi A's had a pretty impressive presence and good numbers.

I hope I'm misunderstanding your last sentence. You're not saying that it's OK to beat pledges nearly to death are you?

starang21 · #8 06-06-2002, 07:10 PM

i'm not saying it's ok to beat someone to a pulp for a pledge. but pledging shouldn't be an easy process. me personally, i hated pledging. it really sucked. that's why i can't understand why people say they loved their processes. and as for your school, AKA's and the Alphas always have big numbers. but at a HBCU, they'll have more numbers than a historically white school.

Senusret I · #9 06-06-2002, 07:57 PM

starang21,

I'm not disagreeing with you on your points, but I responded to Kevin's comments understanding that we were still referring to the Sigmas at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, which to my knowledge is not an HBCU.

But, it all depends on the campus. . .I don't think it is fair to say that white schools won't have large BGLO's, because it depends on the size of the school, and the popularity of the organization, not just if the school is white or black.

For example, I am not too sure on the numbers right now, but I am pretty sure that at one point when I was an undergrad, there were more SGRho's at American University than there were at Howard. (I could be wrong though.)

But anyway, congrats to you! (I see that you're a neo). The only Iota I ever met was TC Carson, and he was real cool.

starang21 · #10 06-06-2002, 08:18 PM

dardner,

you're correct, it does depend on the school, and the diversity of the school as well. at purdue, where the school 87% white, the BGLO's are very small, yet very strong. i think the alphas and the sigmas are the biggest with 12-15, while the zetas are the largest sorority with i think 12 members. i was just refering the ktsnake's comments on a small chapter equates a weak chapter or an unpopular chapter. because that's not true at all. weak bruhs equate a weak chapter. thanks for the support, though. my friend (a sigma) told me i was the only real live iota he's ever met. there's not a lot of us, but like i said, low numbers doesn't always equal weakness.

Kevin · #11 06-06-2002, 10:17 PM

I apologize for my ignorance as to the size of most BGLO's. I've heard rumors that they are around that size on my campus. Unfortunately however we really never do anything in conjunction with them. That being said my exposure to these groups has been extremely limited. It's always good to learn something new about the people I see around campus every day

LHT
Kevin

Tom Earp · #12 06-06-2002, 10:33 PM

ktsnake very well said!

While I was at school, my guys associated with the Brothers of one of the BGLO Fraternitys who while were small were a Great bucnh of men and represented themselves very well in Campus committees!

This was at a time when it was not popular to associate with Blacks! Hell we were all a bunch of rejects and renegades anyway to we figured F&%K them and did our thing!

To this day, I have been trying to find Bill Swoop.
I had a TKE find me on this site Eric Conard who pointed me towards LXA,(LONG STORY) and we are still good freinds!

Ask znteke, we also talk alot!!!!

This is what the Greek Chat is doing that we on teh local schools cannot do promote Greek Unity!

BSUPhiSig'92 · #13 08-06-2002, 03:10 PM

First let me start by saying I have pretty extensive knowledge of this case. I should, I am the Coordinator of Greek Life at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. This incident was a huge shock and surprise to everyone here at the University. I knew all of the active members of Phi Beta Sigma here at SIUE, and thought they were nice guys. While they weren't a perfect chapter and had been in trouble with the University for some minor things before, I was stunned when these charges came to light.

At SIUE we have a pretty small Greek system (3-4% of 10,000 undergrads), but a fairly strong NPHC system with a few chapters in the 20-30 member range. The Sigmas were one of the smallest of our NPHC chapters. I had always counted myself one of the fortunate ones, an advisor to a Greek system that really had no major problems. How wrong I was!
Fortunately, the overwhelming response from SIUE Greeks I have talked to is of absolute disbelief and shock that this happened.

Almost every member of the chapter is facing charges of hazing and perjury. The hazing charges carry a maximum three year sentence, the perjury five years. The State's Attorney (like the D.A.) is really making an example out of this case, and the first trial will begin in October.

The young man who was hazed was taken in the woods behind our campus apartments and according to the police officers I have spoken with, beaten over 100 times with a wooden paddle. I saw pictures that the police took in the hospital of his injuries, and it just sickened me. They then made him stand three hours in the rain, naked, before they let him go home. The next day he went to some sort of family function (a wedding I think) and collapsed. He was rushed to the emergency room, and that is the only way all of this came to light. His parents immediately called police. I shudder to think what would have happened if all of this had gotten covered over, and something worse could have happened in the future!

I have been told by persons involved with the investigation, that the whole mess started with three "old heads" who came back and started to haze the pledges. It sounds like most of the active members of the chapter did not beat him, but did nothing to stop the older members. The active members have refused to cooperate with the
authorities and would not name names, hence the perjury charges. The University is waiting to conduct disciplinary proceedings after the court trials, at the request of the State's Attorney.

This has really shaken up things here at SIUE. Our Board of Trustees grilled my Vice-Chancellor at their June meeting. I am under intense pressure to make sure that nothing happens this year. My Vice-Chancellor met with me on this and flat out asked me "Do we have to have Greek organizations as a part of this campus?" I answered yes, but was told that there will be some big changes or else no more Greek Life. And of course, no Greek Life, no Greek Life Advisor.
The fallout from this will be around for a long time!

Eupolis · #14 08-06-2002, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by starang21
i'm not saying it's ok to beat someone to a pulp for a pledge. but pledging shouldn't be an easy process. me personally, i hated pledging. it really sucked.

Although I'm working off the above quote and the ideas it conjures in my mind, I want to say first off that I'm not trying to put words in starang21's mouth - I'm just working off the ideas that the quote makes me think of.

I cannot imagine a battery of absurd tasks that would establish in a new member the privilege of joining my fraternity. That is to say, I can imagine no proper justification for putting new members through a series of trials. Not in light of the alternatives.

Is the new member in general a good guy? Does he show respect both to brothers and to others that he deals with in day to day life? Is he eager to contribute to life in the fraternity? Does his behavior fit with the cardinal principles of my fraternity (which during his orientation period I know, but he does not)? Does he seem to understand the significance of our creed (alternative link)? And of course, is he fun to be around? If so, I vote to initiate.

I don't need to lay any special tasks before a candidate to determine for myself whether he should be initiated. I also think that the argument that hazing increases bonding and commitment is outdated and absurd. I believe it is poisonous. I want a brother to feel connected to me because he respects and likes me, not because of something I did to him that he feels proud of having endured.

Perhaps it helps my argument that my college has deferred (January) rush, so that most of us knew our associate members already when we bid them; however, the fact that you don't know your new members well is no justification for putting them through extra trials, let alone physical abuse. Take the responsibility to get to know the people you would call your brothers. (And yes, that is a two-way street -- they must take that responsibility too, but the already-initated are in a better position to know what relationship needs to develop.)

During my orientation period and during the orientation periods that I and my successors in office led, we told associate members that the point of their associate membership was to let us get to know them, and to let them get to know us and what we were about, insofar as possible without learning the secrets of initiation. We planned activities for them and for the entire organization. They were expected to participate in fraternity life, and to learn our history, and they had weekly meetings. I don't think we needed anything more to make a reasonable judgment about whether a man was good for our group, and we ended up with a brotherhood founded on something much stronger than the passage of trials. I couldn't have asked for better results.

_____________________
Phi Kappa Tau
Mu Chapter, Lawrence University
init. '96, LU '99
Membership Orientation Officer, 1997-98
"Brother White Blood Cell"

Eupolis · #15 08-07-2002, 12:04 PM

Hm. On reflection, I think the rhetoric in what I posted above may be a bit overly strong, but I still feel pretty strongly that a new member period should not be a period of extra trials.

Back on the main theme of the thread. I hope that everyone at SIUE can make something good out of this. My best wishes to you.