Quote:
Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby:
This was great news for me when Phi Kappa Tau got suspended and the individuals faced no charges. Until this time, I had been unaware that pledging a house relieved me of all personal responsibility for my actions.
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Ah yes, another wonderful facet of today's Fraternity Life. I won't lie to you - this isn't actually how it works . . . it's worse. Pledging a house does NOT, in fact, remove personal responsibility - but it DOES, in fact, add organizational responsibility.
In short - now that I'm in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, International, not only am I responsible for my own actions, I'm also (partly, although somewhat directly) responsible for the actions of my fellow brothers and pledges - this responsibility extends to the entire organization, on a national level.
If a pledge dies at an official chapter function, regardless of whether alcohol was involved or not, there will be a serious inquiry into wrongdoing on the part of the chapter. If there
is alcohol involved, then God help us as well as his family, because the chapter is gone, and there's an off chance the national organization is gone - forever. This is the level of seriousness that risk management has taken on in today's world - lawsuits that can overrun insurance coverage, and payments that active brothers can't afford . . . and it can happen in a heartbeat.
This is why the risk management position is often considered a Vice-President in most houses. For fraternities, precendent is extremely clear: you will be held responsible for the actions of your own, actives or pledges or even alumni, at official or even unofficial events. It sucks - but it is definitely something that is in the back of the minds of every chapter president.
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