U-M suspends fraternity for hazing incident
Pledge deprived of food, water has kidney failure
September 24, 2003
BY MARYANNE GEORGE
FREE PRESS ANN ARBOR BUREAU
Sigma Chi, one of the oldest fraternities at the University of Michigan, was kicked off campus Tuesday following a hazing incident that sent a pledge to the hospital with kidney failure, officials said.
U-M spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the young man was part of an eight-member pledge class. During the week of Sept. 8, he was deprived of food and water and forced to do calisthenics.
The incident was discovered when the youth's mother told officials her son had been hospitalized with muscle breakdown that led to acute kidney failure, Peterson said.
The young man, an Ann Arbor resident who was not identified, was released from the hospital Friday. He was a junior majoring in kinesiology, and is deciding whether to return to school, officials said.
The Interfraternity Council, the governing body for U-M fraternities voted unanimously Monday to withdraw recognition of the fraternity on campus.
On Tuesday, the Sigma Chi national organization suspended the group's charter for several years, said Mark Anderson, president of the Sigma Chi Corp.
The U-M chapter, which was founded in 1877, was placed on probation in March for another hazing incident, said John Duncan, assistant director of U-M's office of Greek Life.
He said the probation was because of an incident where pledges' personal items were stolen and two students were injured.
Royster Harper, U-M vice president for student affairs, said the university has "zero tolerance for hazing. . . . This group does not embody or honor any of the values of fraternal life at Michigan."
In 2000, the Greek community at U-M enacted an anti-hazing policy that included a 12-member hazing task force and an anonymous e-mail hot line to allow students to report incidents. The e-mail address is:
hazinghotline@umich.edu.
In addition to losing their charter, the fraternity could face additional disciplinary measures ranging from charges against individual students under the U-M student code to criminal prosecution. The chapter had 54 active members and eight pledges, Anderson said.
The fraternity has not been sued by the student's family, Anderson said.
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/haze24_20030924.htm
Not good.. but does anybody else question an "anonymous" email hot line? Email is relatively easily traced.. pretty hard to be "anonymous" However, at least they are providing some easy way to report problems.
Dee
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