Double standard lives on two more campuses

[hoosier]

Here's two more examples of the double standard: Athletics and GLOs are treated differently on campus when hazing and booze are involved.

Without a doubt, Winthrop would have kicked off a GLO which sponsored an underage drinkning party.

Without a doubt, West Chester would suspend a GLO which got caught hazing.

If a chapter at either of these campuses gets in trouble, I hope someone remembers how the athletes were only given a slap on the wrist.

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Published August 26. 2005 4:06PM
Winthrop soccer team suspended

The Associated Press
The entire Winthrop men's soccer team has been suspended at least two games for their involvement in an off-campus gathering with underage drinking, the school said Friday.
Each of the 27 players will be suspended for two to four games. Players will serve suspensions in groups, possibly five or six at a time, to avoid forfeiting any games, athletics spokesman Jack Frost said.
"All I can say is that they were involved in some activity where underaged drinking occurred and alcohol was available," Frost said.
Injured players will serve suspensions when they get healthy and red-shirted players will serve their suspensions next year, Frost said.
The suspended groups will be determined by coach Rich Posipanko. Suspensions will begin during Saturday's exhibition at Charlotte and are scheduled to end after the Oct. 7 match against Coastal Carolina. Winthrop opens the regular season at Appalachian State on Sept. 1.
The Eagles, who returned eight starters after a 7-12 record a year ago, was picked to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll.
Winthrop made the NCAA tournament in 2002.

09/01/2005
WEST GOSHEN (PA) - All 30 players on the West Chester University women’s soccer team have been suspended one game each for undisclosed violations of university and athletic department policies.
WCU athletic director Edward Matejkovic confirmed the suspensions prior to last Friday night’s home football game at John A. Farrell Stadium.
"The rumors are true," Matejkovic said. "Every member of the women’s soccer team will serve a one-game suspension."
Matejkovic wouldn’t disclose the nature of the violations. He said the players would each serve their one-game suspensions over a six-game period beginning with Saturday’s season opener at Lock Haven.
West Chester won the opener, 3-0.
Besides the Lock Haven contest, the other games involved are: Wednesday at Shippensburg; Sept. 3 at home against Kutztown; Sept. 7 at home against Mansfield; Sept. at Millersville; and Sept. 19 at home against Clarion.
The university’s punitive action came to light after the Daily Local News received an e-mail stating that the entire team had been suspended for an incident involving hazing of players. The sender failed to respond to additional questions and it could not be determined what transpired with the team to prompt a suspension of all its players.
In an e-mail response to the Local News, WCU head women’s soccer coach Tara Koleski wrote: "I think that you spoke to our AD and the issue was resolved in house. I can not comment on the incident any further."
WCU spokeswoman Loretta MacAlpine said she was unaware of the situation.
West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll said no complaints had been filed with the department. West Chester Police Chief Scott Bohn could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office also said no complaints have been filed.
The law defines hazing as "any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student or which willfully destroys or removes public or private property for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with . . any organization operating under the sanction of or recognized as an organization by an institution of higher education."
According to the law, hazing includes, but is not limited to, physical punishment, exposure to the elements, forced consumption of any food, liquor or drug and forced conduct which could result in extreme embarrassment. The law states that any person who participates in hazing commits a third degree misdemeanor.
The West Chester women’s soccer squad entered the 2005 campaign under Koleski, in her second season as head coach, as the top pick in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division in a preseason vote of coaches.
WCU went 8-4 in PSAC East competition last season and 11-7-3 overall. The Golden Rams qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second straight year in 2004, but lost to LIU-Southampton, 4-3, on penalty kicks in the opening round.
"I am disappointed that I had to do this," Matejkovic said. "I always am when the kids have to be disciplined. The kids have to understand we have rules and they have to be followed."

[hoosier]

(Further looking reveals that Wintrhop has suspended three GLOs recently, including two for alcohol)


.
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.

[33girl]

In addition to this, I'll bet you $10 that the WCU soccer team have an unofficial house with open parties....which a sorority would get closed for.

[dznat187]

Where was that WCU article published? Just curious. I am a grad student at WCU and I will step up and contact adminstration about this, along with others, until appropriate action is taken. My BF fraternity is on probation for hazing that members of their chapter turned them in for (I'm not saying it is a bad or good disciplinary action) and I feel the same standards should eb kept for all student groups. Thanks.

[AGDee]

There is a difference between GLOs and sports teams. We profess to have selective membership and a higher standard of values and ideals and they do not. They only claim to be good athletes.

I still think they should have harsher consequences for their actions, but they are seen differently for the above reason.

[dznat187]

i agree but breaking the law is breaking the law and hazing is illegal. and even if they don't have to deal with police, it should be treated as an illegal action--realitively the same consequence for all offenders.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by AGDee
There is a difference between GLOs and sports teams. We profess to have selective membership and a higher standard of values and ideals and they do not. They only claim to be good athletes.

I still think they should have harsher consequences for their actions, but they are seen differently for the above reason.

I feel college athletes might deserve higher levels of scrutiny, since they often are geting scholarship money to come to the school, and they wear the school's name on their chests in competitions across the state and in other states.

The list of athletic hazing being treated as "boys will be boys" grows:

Indiana - cross-country rookies running around campus in jock straps (no punishment ever announced)

Maryland - women's Lacrosse rookies dressed up like tampons (got suspensions to be served in the off season)

[dznat187]

I would love to see a school actual suspend its whole team for a game or even the season. That is pretty much what we do to greeks.
I definately agree though that athletes should be held to a high standard as well, despite the fact that they do not claim to have any high moral value.

[whittleschmeg]

Originally posted by dznat187
I would love to see a school actual suspend its whole team for a game or even the season. That is pretty much what we do to greeks.
I definately agree though that athletes should be held to a high standard as well, despite the fact that they do not claim to have any high moral value.

I went to school on a soccer scholorship and the year before my freshman year our soccer team got introuble for hazing and 4 of the best most respected players on the team took the entire blame for the team.....they said they were the only people involved in the hazing and they were suspended from the team and 5 games..... I attend a school in the poconos (PA)

[Firehouse]

Hell, our BAND is on double secret probation for hazing, but they never missed a game. They went on probation four years ago and as far as anyone knows they are still on probation. If it had been a fraternity, eveyone in the chapter would be in the penitentary now.

[James]

There was a Division one school that suspended their Hockey Team I believe . . .

Originally posted by dznat187
I would love to see a school actual suspend its whole team for a game or even the season. That is pretty much what we do to greeks.
I definately agree though that athletes should be held to a high standard as well, despite the fact that they do not claim to have any high moral value.

[hoosier]

Originally posted by James
There was a Division one school that suspended their Hockey Team I believe . . .

U Vermont - huge hockey school, with no football - about three years ago. A fourth string goalie got cut just before the first game, and he and his lawyer blew the whistle and collected $$$.

The players kept their scholarships, and continued to practice, but no games. A year later, they fired the coach, who didn't have a good W-L record.

Vermont also had a deal where the soccer team made the rookies run (on trails) naked.

[Firehouse]

What was the issue about the goalie getting cut? Did he accuse them of hazing?

[hoosier]

Originally posted by Firehouse
What was the issue about the goalie getting cut? Did he accuse them of hazing?

Probably if the goalie had not been cut (and he was a rich private school teacher's son), he would have kept quiet.

You can probably still find the story if you Google (news) Vermont Hockey Hazing, or check Smoking Gun.com.

The team had an annual hazing party, and each rookie had to shave himself before arrival. A lot of drinking and ridicule was involved.

The campus wouldn't believe the goalie, so he went to the District Attorney, who found that some players had lied to the campus investigators. I think a few of the hazers were convicted.

The goalie eventually got an award for squealing from one of Hank Nuwer's groups.

[Tom Earp]

So, go figure.

What else is New?