U. of Florida Suspends ATO Chapter

[Firehouse]

Historically and today, ATO is one of the most prominent fraternities at the University of Florida. With their political strength it's surprising that they can get suspended for something that sounds so trivial. However, the State is very sensitive about hazing right now; and if there is one thing to which universities respond with Draconian over-reaction it is bad publicity.
In Tallahassee, undergraduate members - graduating seniors - of a black fraternity at Florida A&M were sentenced to prison for beating a pledge with canes.
Here at Florida State we've lost four very large, very prominent fraternities in just a few years: SAE in 2001, Pi Kappa Phi in 2005, and both ATO and Sig Ep during the 2006-2007 school year. I think it's significant that none of these were for drinking or general hell-raising; all of these losses were for hazing.
Trends change, but the universities right now seem to focused on hazing first, then fighting, and drinking issues last. This could just be limited to Florida, and I could be wrong about the whole thing. I'm trying to be open minded because my normal instinct is to look for mid-level student affairs bureaucrats who simply like to boss people around, especially uppity fraternity boys who will make more in their first job out of college than they ever will.

I was hazed and I hazed others. It was fun. But hazing has caused more trouble for fraternities than almost anything else. We were able to get rid of it when we came back to campus and in seven years the lack of it has not seemed to hurt our chapter in terms of brotherhood or performance.

[exlurker]

Update: Penalties Summarized in Short Article (ATO - U. of Florida

See December 8, 2007 short article in the campus paper about restrictions on social events, rushing, and other requirements:

http://www.alligator.org/articles/20...campus/ato.txt

The article says ATO will accept the sanctions.

Firehouse, you made some good observations. As a non-Floridian (is that the word?) even I wonder if some of the attention being paid to hazing has to do with the fairly recent tightening of Florida's anti-hazing law, and the substantial publicity the new law got. (I think this is the state sensitivity about hazing you mention.)

In a lot of places, not just Florida, the state colleges and universities have to work constantly on maintaining good relations with the state legislature and governor. Can the tougher law be an example of political forces in the state saying "jump," and the state schools then saying, "we're jumping"?

All that aside, I'm glad you mentioned that getting rid of hazing hasn't hurt your chapter's brotherhood or performance. Congratulations.

[Gator]

http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...ISTS/712110313

More recent and correct article.

[Tom Earp]

They may have been alright if the mud pit was not used!

[Day13]

Originally Posted by Firehouse

Trends change, but the universities right now seem to focused on hazing first, then fighting, and drinking issues last. This could just be limited to Florida, and I could be wrong about the whole thing.

At UCF 4 Fraternities have been kicked off for hazing in recent times as well.

Pike is 2005(?)
SAE/SigEp/Pi Kapp 2006/2007

Florida is certainly a place that cracks down on hazing hardcore.

[Gator]

From UF's Final Decision Letter:

• Conduct Probation through the completion of the Fall 2008 semester.
• Loss of Spring 2008 recruitment.
• Letter drafted by the active chapter and sent to all University of Florida new members no later than December 22, 2007 that apologizes for some of the chapter’s actions during the Fall 2007 semester and also states that they do not have to be initiated into Alpha Tau Omega and thus are eligible to join another social fraternity at the University of Florida. New members must sign and return to Fletcher Rush by January 7, 2008 that they would like to be part of the chapter or that they do not want to continue.
• Suspend all Social functions through Summer 2008 including but not limited to: Socials, Crush Parties, Road Trips, Date Functions, Barbeques, etc. Alpha Tau Omega is allowed to have two brotherhood events, one before Spring Break and one after, but they both must be dry.
• Required to participate in at least five University of Florida Greek Community philanthropies during the Spring 2008 semester.
• Each active member must complete five hours of community service before April 1, 2008. Active members’ participation will be determined by using the active member roster from the Greek database at the end of the spring 2008 semester. Community service shall be coordinated through the University of Florida’s Dean of Students office.
• Not eligible for the President’s Cup in 2008.
• One chapter education program that addresses hazing for the active members of the chapter during Spring 2008. The program must have 80% attendance and 100% attendance for the executive board.
• Fletcher Rush, active President, must give a presentation at the Interfraternity Council’s Spring 2008 hazing meeting with new members. The presentation shall address his encounter with hazing as a chapter president and programs his chapter is implementing to address the problem. 80% of the active members of the Chapter must also attend this presentation and 100% attendance is required for the executive board.
• Fletcher Rush will also give this same presentation at the first Interfraternity Council meeting of the Spring 2008 semester.
• Allowed to participate in Fall 2008 recruitment. Only allowed to take fifteen new members during this recruitment period. Should Alpha Tau Omega come back before the Greek Judicial Board or the Interfraternity Council’s standards board not in relation to this case they shall lose Fall 2008 recruitment. The active chapter must also successfully complete the five hours of community service during Spring 2008 in order to earn the right to recruit during Fall 2008.
• Seven week new member education program during Fall 2008.
• The seven week new member education program must be submitted to the Alpha Tau Omega national headquarters for approval. New member educator must meet with the Interfraternity Council Advisor and Executive Vice President to review and discuss the seven week program before Fall 2008 recruitment begins.
• New member oversight committee present during Fall 2008 recruitment.
• Excluding homecoming only allowed to hold two social events during the Fall 2008 semester.
• Social functions during Fall 2008 must be dry, including but not limited to Homecoming, Socials, Crush Parties, Date Functions, Road Trips, etc.
• All barbeques with the exception of Alumni barbeques must be dry. Sorority pairings and Alumni barbeques may not overlap.

[Firehouse]

I could swallow everything but the loss of a pledge class combined with only 15 pledges in the fall. That's brutal on a campus like Florida. I'd appeal that; I could live with the rest of it. Could have been worse; they could have been kicked off campus but that would have been a travesty.

[PhiGam]

Having them clean older brothers' rooms... that's terrible.