Guess they didn't get the word. Or, maybe they're just dumb...

[DeltAlum]

University of California, Santa Barbara
October 3, 2003

FIJI Faces Hazing Lawsuit
Former Pledge Charges Fraternity With Abuse, Illness

By Bonnie Holladay -Staff Writer

A former UCSB student who claims he was hazed
while pledging the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI)
fraternity last fall is suing the fraternity.

The lawsuit alleges that, as part of his pledging
process in Fall 2002, Jason Belsky, a freshman at
the time, was physically and verbally abused, was
forced to consume large amounts of alcohol and
was put into unsanitary conditions.

As a result of these allegations, the university
no longer recognizes the local chapter. According
to the complaint, Belsky was hospitalized as a
result of acts committed against him by FIJI.

Belsky's complaint alleges that, as part of the
pledging process, he and his eight fellow pledges
were required to go on a "pledge retreat." After
arriving at the fraternity house with sleeping
bags and warm clothes, as they were instructed,
they were blindfolded and escorted into cars.
Upon arriving at their destination, an isolated
location near a beach, the fraternity members
took their keys, wallets, cell phones and all
other forms of identification from them. If
caught or questioned by police, the pledges were
instructed to identify themselves as members of
the Santa Barbara City College water polo team.
They were also instructed to consume several
30-packs of beer. The actives then left the
pledges for the night.

The actives said they would pick up the pledges
at 4 a.m. and again at 7 a.m. so the pledges
would be on time to athletic practice and
midterms, according to the complaint. The members
missed the 4 a.m. pickup time, and Belsky and
another pledge walked to a hotel for help. After
the hotel staff refused to help the pledges, they
walked several miles back to the fraternity
house. The members never returned to pick up the
other pledges, who eventually hitchhiked back to
the house.

The complaint states that another portion of
initiation consisted of two "poker nights." At
these events, pledges were forced to stand in
physically strenuous positions and to answer
questions about the fraternity. In the lawsuit,
Belsky said he was forced to consume large
amounts of alcohol: approximately a pint of
Jagermeister and several beers in 10 to 20
minutes. In the second poker night, he was forced
to consume two whole onions with his fellow
pledges. Most pledges were sick afterward and
vomited.

The complaint also alleges that, as part of the
pledge period, the pledges were required to hoist
the FIJI flag every morning. One night in
November, after a pledge raised the flag upside
down, the entire pledge class was forced to sit
vigil at the base of the flag in retribution. The
vigil lasted from 9 p.m. until 6:48 a.m, during
which time the pledges had to keep a flashlight
trained on the flag at all times and were not
allowed to sleep. Over the course of the night,
"the actives ridiculed [them], spraying them with
water hoses, and threw hundreds of water balloons
and buckets of freezing water at them."

During the final stage of the pledging process,
Belsky and the other pledges were forced to live
in a small storage closet known by the fraternity
as "The Cage," according to the complaint. During
"Hell Week," if the pledges "were not in class or
involved in a fraternity event, they were
expected to be in The Cage." The cage contained
two buckets: one for urination and one for
defecation. At one point, one of the cage walls
was smeared with raw meat, which the pledges were
not allowed to clean up. Inside the cage a stereo
"continuously played the song 'Wild Honeypie' by
the Beatles at extremely loud volumes."

The complaint states that, as part of Hell Week,
the pledges were forced to race around the house
on all fours as the fraternity brothers hit them
with cushions in what were known as "rat races."
The pledges were also allegedly forced to perform
strenuous exercises in the ocean and then to run
nearly two hours to return to the house. They
were also sent on a scavenger hunt in which they
allegedly had to, among other things, steal a
FIJI sign in Los Angeles, go to a Kentucky Fried
Chicken restaurant in Compton, and "engage in
public acts of humiliation at Universal Studios
and Union Station." On his final day of
initiation, Belsky said in the lawsuit, he was
beat with a paddle by members of FIJI.

Belsky also said in the lawsuit that other events
over the course of Hell Week included meals
consisting entirely of food covered in hot sauces
and spices, carrying sand from the beach in the
middle of the night to add to the volleyball
court at the house, and strenuous calisthenics.

The complaint alleges that, as a result of his
initiation, Belsky became ill with a viral
infection, a bacterial infection, mononucleosis
and tonsillitis. His liver and spleen were also
"inflamed and significantly enlarged." He
withdrew from school to recover from his illness,
during which time his parents wrote letters of
complaint to the school and the local and
international chapters of FIJI. In a response to
these letters, the president of the local chapter
wrote back, "Since our first pledge class 11
years ago, every man has endured the same,"
according to the suit.

Upon Belsky's return to UCSB, FIJI member and
then-President of the Interfraternity Council
Andrew Re "told Jason that he was 'unwelc ome' at
the fraternity house."

Current FIJI President Andrew Nicolai was reticent to comment on the lawsuit

"Personally, I don't believe that any physical
harm is done to the pledges. Nobody is doing
anybody any physical harm nor wants to," Nicolai
said.

The complaint was filed Sept. 23, but Nicolai,
who was named in the suit, said he had not seen
it or heard anything about a lawsuit until Oct. 2.

Nicolai refused to comment on the hazing allegations.

UCSB attempted to convince the international
chapter to revoke the local charter last spring
when the university withdrew its recognition of
the house, according to Director of Greek Affairs
Stephan Franklin. The national chapter put FIJI
on suspension, which means that the local chapter
should not be recruiting, holding meetings that
are not informational in purpose, or holding
events, Franklin said.

On Sept. 27, FIJI held a concert at their house
that they advertised as their "Fall Kickoff."

"They haven't only defied the university, but
also their national headquarters," Franklin said.

Nicolai refused to comment on the concert.

J.B. Goll, the director of Chapter Services at
FIJI International Headquarters, confirmed that
the local chapter was still recognized but on
suspension and under investigation.

"They are on temporary suspension based on hazing allegations," Goll said.

Nicolai refused to comment on the suspension.

FIJI will be eligible to reapply for university
recognition in four years; however, the
university will not start the four-year wait
until the fraternity removes its Greek letters
from its house.

"As long as FIJI calls themselves [an] operating
chapter, they're not going to be considered for
reinstatement. They decide when the four-year
process starts when they become compliant,"
Franklin said. "The process will begin then and
no sooner."

On Sept. 22, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Michael Young sent out a campuswide e-mail
warning students from participating in an
"unauthorized" rush sponsored by FIJI. In the
e-mail he wrote that the fraternity had been
"associated with illegal hazing, underage
drinking and behavior counter to student health
and safety."

FIJI members said on their International
Headquarters' advice they had not held a rush
this quarter.

- Daniel Haier also contributed to this story.
The full text of the lawsuit can be downloaded as
a PDF document at