NT fraternities' conduct under fire
However, member maintains 'Animal House' image exaggerated
Brantley Hargrove
Staff Writer
September 12, 2003
Almost a month ago, city and university authorities caught several high-ranking fraternity members streaking across property that NT is currently in the process of acquiring at a price of millions.
At a time when NT is trying to raise its profile nationwide, a growing number of incidents like this are proving embarrassing to the university, as well as to the fraternities trying to be perceived as pillars of the community.
"We are put on a pedestal," said Matt Carter, president of Delta Sigma Phi, a fraternity which was placed on probation until recently for an alcohol-related offense. "And any little thing we do to screw up is recorded. We're always being watched."
In the latest incident, Justin Gibson, a former president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, a past president of the Interfraternity Council and the "Greek Man of the Year," told police in a report obtained by the Daily that he had instructed a group of fraternity men to disrobe and streak across the Liberty Christian campus on Aug. 17.
The administration has thus far paid about $4 million of the total $5 million to acquire the school property.
Other participants included Jeremy Posey, a former rush chairman for the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, John Schoenfeld, social chairman for the fraternity, and Phillip Hubbard, the fraternity's "pledge ed."
Such incidents are not uncommon. Five of the 13 active fraternities at NT have been suspended in the last three years for heavy drinking or hazing.
Others have been cited in recent months by the university for various other infractions.
Steven Rose, an officer with Sigma Phi Epsilon, said he worries about the ramifications of all these incidents. As a member of the IFC Board, he voted to end the suspension of Lambda Chi Alpha following its suspension last October for a hazing incident involving underage drinking.
"One more major infraction and they will be kicked off Greek Row," Rose said. He noted that Lambda Chi Alpha was suspended because "someone drank more than they needed to and got taken to the hospital."
At Alpha Phi Alpha, the most recent hazing incident resembled something out of a prisoner interrogation.
Fraternity members slapped pledges, deprived them of sleep, shone a black light in their eyes and blindfolded them for days at a time. The fraternity was suspended for hazing in 1995. It was reinstated in 2000 and recently suspended again for hazing.
Alpha Phi Alpha members were unavailable for comment. "Hazing is an abuse of power that can have debilitating and life-threatening consequences," said Hank Nuwer, an author of several books on hazing, including "Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing and Binge Drinking." "It must be stopped."
NT did try to stop it. NT administrators required members of fraternities suspended for hazing to become involved in an Anti-Hazing Coalition, a student-led group intended to educate fraternities about the hazards of hazing.
But when asked about the effectiveness of the coalition, Dr. Elizabeth With, associate vice president for student development, said she knew nothing about the coalition.
Just who's in charge of seeing to it that fraternities stay within the rules or comply with the restrictions placed on them isn't entirely clear.
Ed Reynolds, NT chief of police, said, "UNT police only handle the fraternities in the case of an infraction against criminal law. If a fraternity is violating suspension, that would be turned over to the Office of Rights and Responsibilities."
Claire Medina, an administrative assistant in the Dean of Students Office, said either the greek adviser, Troy Laforge, or the IFC would enforce suspensions for the fraternities. But asked who actually sees to it that the terms of the suspension are kept, Medina refused to elaborate further. Brian Copeland, an alumnus of the Stephen F. Austin University chapter of Alpha Tau Omega, said when he was in the greek system, "hazing was still pretty much anything goes."
Not all bad
To be sure, some fraternities at NT place great emphasis on the pursuit of academic excellence, community service and philanthropy.
A number of fraternities require a minimum of a 2.5 grade-point average to be eligible for membership.
Others recognize academic achievement through scholarship awards. Nearly all the fraternities, including some that have been suspended, were involved in both community service and charitable work.
"Our fraternity worked with Habitat for Humanity and built three houses last year," said Carter, whose fraternity was placed on probation for alcohol-related infractions.
Robert Chatman, NT senior currently serving his second term as president of Sigma Lambda Beta, added, "We do a lot of positive things." He noted that his fraternity will be sponsoring a blood drive with Carter Blood Care later this month.
Still, fraternity members worry that the rash of embarrassing incidents of late has given greeks a bad name.
"One bad apple does affect the greek fraternity system as a whole," Rose said. "When one fraternity is branded, we're all branded."
Furthermore, NT fraternity members are quick to point out that far more egregious infractions have occurred at other Texas campuses.
For example, last October at Texas A&M University, Brennan Jasper of Lambda Chi Alpha was arrested for videotaping himself having sexual relations with his girlfriend and showing the film to 15 frat brothers. He received five years' probation, 250 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. But one of NT's fraternity members contends the image lingers from an old Hollywood perception.
"When people come in they expect 'Animal House,' but honestly, if that was the way it really was, they wouldn't last very long," Rose said.
In fact, more than one-third of the fraternities that once flourished on campus only three years ago are no longer active.
Daily reporters Kelley Schmidt, Katherine Ramzinski, Whitney Kemp, Jenny Lovin, Shannon Jenkins, Curtis Ipolito and Crystal Brown contributed to this report.,
. And as the article states some of the bigger fraternities on campus are no longer there, such as Kappa Alpha and Theta Chi. 
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