Auburn / Beta

madmax · #1 02-16-2002, 02:33 PM

Does anyone remember the thread on Beta Theta Pi at Auburn? Beta filed a $300 million lawsuit vs Auburn. A judge already ordered Auburn to reinstate the fraternity members.

Do you think Beta should win the lawsuit? I dont think they should get 300 mill but I think they will get something. What they did was definitely in bad taste and offensive but I think they are protected by Freedom of Speech.

RxyChrldr · #2 02-16-2002, 03:10 PM

There are a whole bunch of threads on this if you go to the Search feature..too many to paste, but here's one...

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showt...&threadid=11594

Betarulz! · #3 02-16-2002, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by madmax
Does anyone remember the thread on Beta Theta Pi at Auburn? Beta filed a $300 million lawsuit vs Auburn. A judge already ordered Auburn to reinstate the fraternity members.

Do you think Beta should win the lawsuit? I dont think they should get 300 mill but I think they will get something. What they did was definitely in bad taste and offensive but I think they are protected by Freedom of Speech.

Do you have a news article that we could view about the lawsuit?
I haven't heard anything about this, and I would tend to think that the lawsuit may be by the expelled fraternity members, rather than Beta. I could be wrong, but since our Nationals stepped in right away and pulled the charter of the chapter it doesn't make that Beta National would file a lawsuit in my opinion.

Betarulz! · #4 02-18-2002, 01:49 AM

Max, first thanks for the link to the news article.

It does appear to be the suspended fraternity members filing the suit and they have named the General fraternity as defendents in the suit.

The Gen fraternity decided in January that the chapter is now just suspended, rather than removed. I'm not sure I agree with this, but I do recognize the Constitutional grounds on which the lawsuit is filed.

I think that more than likely they will win if it goes to trial, but it won't, as I assume that the members will settle, particularly since the 300 mill is a ridiculous amount of money.

In my own opinion, being a brother of Beta, I find it somewhat irritating that these members didn't think about how this would all reflect on Beta. I know that my own chapter stresses how actions of one member reflect on Beta as a whole during our pledge program. So the fact that they failed to realize how horrible this looked is very annoying, and the fact that their brothers didn't step in and say something...Perhaps I don't understand the culture of the South.

carnation · #5 02-18-2002, 10:26 AM

Geoff, what those guys did had nothing to do with the culture of the South. They were jerks. As an Auburn alum, I still haven't heard the whole story--perhaps PinkRose 1098 can fill us in--but I don't like being classed with people like that and neither would the other Southerners here.

aopirose · #6 02-18-2002, 10:49 AM

Hear, hear!

Quote:

Originally posted by carnation
I don't like being classed with people like that and neither would the other Southerners here.

dzrose93 · #7 02-18-2002, 10:53 AM

I'm with carnation and aopirose on this one!

Nothing gets me fired up like being lumped into the same category as a few racist idiots living a state away.

Betarulz! · #8 02-18-2002, 02:59 PM

sorry everyone, I didn't mean it like that.

aopirose · #9 02-18-2002, 03:30 PM

It's OK with me. Sometimes when people have a lot to say, it doesn't always come out the way it was intended. Not to mention trying to TYPE IT!

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz!
sorry everyone, I didn't mean it like that.

dzrose93 · #10 02-18-2002, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz!
sorry everyone, I didn't mean it like that.

Thanks, Beta. No problem.

dgbibo · #11 02-18-2002, 04:21 PM

im a Sig Ep at Illinois State University, and a couple kids in our house are good friends with black kids that go here, during our Super Bowl Party with Chi Omega he dressed as a black football player on the Rams. He painted his face and wore sunglasses. There was no problem with that in anybodies eye. but KKK members are definatly taking it too far!

"Loved or Hated but Never Ignored"
VDBL

Peaches-n-Cream · #12 02-18-2002, 04:38 PM

I don't know about this particular case, but when $300 million lawsuits are filed, it is generally to get attention and press coverage...unless it's a class action lawsuit.
Anyway, it really isn't a Southern thing. It's a sensitivity thing. I just can't believe that in this day and age these young men didn't realize the implications and consequences of their actions. I guess a few people just didn't get the memo about racial sensitivity.