Ongoing Chico State Pledge Death Situation...

[exlurker]

Originally posted by AXiDTrish
I am amazed that these students aren't being more cautious after the program they listened to!! If an administrator basically threatened my Greek system....I would be very, very careful not to make anything worse!

Then again, she's 18...probably a freshman and chances are she doesn't know her limit yet...though her sisters should have been watching out for her!

Or maybe a whole lot of the students just didn't give a rodent's rear about the president's warnings or about the signs of alcohol poisoning.

[DeltAlum]

It's probably worth pointing out at this point that, while they can be related, there can also be a difference between underage drinking and hazing.

Although both need to be dealt with.

[AlphaPhiBubbles]

thanks to whoever moved all the related threads into this one. sorry I'm one of the idiots that didn't do a search first.

I know that a lot of people have A LOT of speculation about what Chico State is like and what goes on here, especially from the poor news streaming out. First of all let me clear it up that the drinking culture is pretty strong here as many of you know. So while it seems pretty extreme that "all" these people keep going to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, in fact many non-greeks (and greeks that don't make the news) make trips to the hospital as well which is very sad and dangerous...but also just comes along with the proportion of people that drink in excess. If you drink enough and for long enough, you might go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

But anyway I kind of feel like GCers are putting my school under attack...when you all know first hand that greek stories in the news only reflect the bad and never the good. The greek community here does some seriously positive things for the chico community too. And I feel good things are surfacing from the recent horrible traumas surrounding hazing - the chapter of Sigma Pi formed from old Pi Kapp members when they lost their charter because of Adrian's death, is probably the best fraternity on our campus...Two Sigma Pi's have already been IFC presidents, along with many other offices, and many of the members either run or hold student government positions. The meeting that we recently had with the president was a big eye opener for greeks, and I'm betting that a lot of hazing practices will be slim to none for a long while after this.

Some of you are right, it was the entire greek systems responsibility to ensure hazing wasn't an issue. And we did. We told Chi Tau to shape up or ship out, they kept screwing up so we booted them out of recognition and they stayed. So we tried to kick them out of their house...but Delta Sig alumni own the house and wouldn't have it. We tried to get the city to make them take their letters off...the city didn't care enough. IFC members wanted to make it so any panhellenic sorority that socialed with Chi Tau would not be allowed to social with any other IFC fraternity as incentive for the fraternity to disband- but our greek advisor wouldn't allow it.

There was only so much we could do and we did it. Where we needed the rest of the help was from the university and the city. We needed them to make sure freshman students were aware of the dangers of their parties and their house and we needed the city to cooperate and we needed our own greek advisor to listen to us. We wanted to put real pressure on these guys but we couldn't do it alone. and now it's too late.

I need to shut up but I am really proud of my organization and many of the other respectable greek organizations I connect with. I also really love where I go to school and hate to feel like as a greek Chico State student I am being looked down upon.

FYI: President Paul Zingg was a Sig Ep (forget which school).

[norcalKAO]

I have to agree with Nicolle on this one, although it's sad these situations happen, the fact is that it happens everywhere, not just at Chico State, and although Chico has a reputation as a party school, it's an individuals own choice to get involved in whatever "extra curricular activities" they choose. It's no ones place to judge another or any greek organization simply because of their school, or the actions/events put in motion by others. Furthermore, I've also been told by a friend who happens to go to Chico State that the campus does intend to take action as soon as soon as the police investigation is over.

Nichole

[indieallee]

Very sad story indeed. I don't disagree that the events the fraternity made Carrington do were considered hazing (at least from my perspective), but the situation could have been more complicated.

- Did the pledge have a prior history of seizures or epilepsy? (Yes, everything listed can cause a seizure to occur, but the keyword is can.)

Myself an epileptic, I had my first seizure at 20, strangely enough during a Brotherhood night with pledges. However, there was strictly no hazing occuring and it was just a freak accident. But my neurologist mentioned that a common onset age is around 20, or in the early twenties.

So...?

[PsychTau2]

If the Chico State Greeks are an asset to the community and the school (and I wouldn't know that because I've never been near your school), NOW is the time to show that.

NOW.

Yes, we are all looking at you. For good reason. Same reason we were looking at Colorado State, and Colorado, and Oklahoma, and many other schools last semester. BAD THINGS HAPPENED THERE. No amount of excuses or reasoning will erase that. Chico State is the latest one added to the list.

I'm waiting for someone to STEP UP, MAKE A COMMITTMENT, and TAKE ACTION! Do something different. Undergraduates are the ones that are in the middle of all this...YOU have to give us the answers. I (as a greek advisor) don't want to have to shut down chapters. I want to see the problems fixed. I am so tired of hearing from people "of course hazing goes on here. Everyone knows that."

REFUSE TO CONDONE IT!!

Refuse to have anything to do with the chapters that haze. Put peer pressure on them...make it totally unacceptable. You chapter chooses who they want to socialize with...you don't have to socialize with a group who doesn't live up to your standards (and your greek advisor can't make you). It doesn't have to be a rule...it has to be a choice.

Once again, through a tragedy we have the opportunity to show the world what we are really made of. I'm challenging (no, begging!) ALL Greeks out there....DO SOMETHING!

...or something will be done for you.

(whatever anger you perceive in this message is not focused on any one school, group, or individual. I'm angry about ALL of the behaviors over the past year. Dammit, it's time to stop it!!)

PsychTau

[exlurker]

Update: Eight Charged (4 with manslaughter)

Eight men are expected to be arrested in the "water hazing" death. According to the Associated Press and other reports, four are charged with manslaughter and hazing; the other four with hazing. Example of the reports:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/0303...co_hazing.html

[exlurker]

Originally posted by PsychTau2
If the Chico State Greeks are an asset to the community and the school (and I wouldn't know that because I've never been near your school), NOW is the time to show that.

NOW.

Yes, we are all looking at you. For good reason. Same reason we were looking at Colorado State, and Colorado, and Oklahoma, and many other schools last semester. BAD THINGS HAPPENED THERE. No amount of excuses or reasoning will erase that. Chico State is the latest one added to the list.

I'm waiting for someone to STEP UP, MAKE A COMMITTMENT, and TAKE ACTION! Do something different. Undergraduates are the ones that are in the middle of all this...YOU have to give us the answers. I (as a greek advisor) don't want to have to shut down chapters. I want to see the problems fixed. I am so tired of hearing from people "of course hazing goes on here. Everyone knows that."

REFUSE TO CONDONE IT!!

Refuse to have anything to do with the chapters that haze. Put peer pressure on them...make it totally unacceptable. You chapter chooses who they want to socialize with...you don't have to socialize with a group who doesn't live up to your standards (and your greek advisor can't make you). It doesn't have to be a rule...it has to be a choice.

Once again, through a tragedy we have the opportunity to show the world what we are really made of. I'm challenging (no, begging!) ALL Greeks out there....DO SOMETHING!

...or something will be done for you.

(whatever anger you perceive in this message is not focused on any one school, group, or individual. I'm angry about ALL of the behaviors over the past year. Dammit, it's time to stop it!!) . . .

PsychTau

I tend to agree, PsychTau. The San Francisco Chronicle -- just like probably a ton of other media outlets -- is reporting that the president of Cal State-Chico is considering whether to ban fraternities and sororities entirely. The Chronicle's story also has details on the hazing. "Sadistic" is the term.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGK9BKG681.DTL

[TSteven]

Originally posted by exlurker
I tend to agree, PsychTau. The San Farncisco Chronicle -- just like probably a ton of other media outlets -- is reporting that the president of Cal State-Chico is considering whether to ban fraternities and sororities entirely. The Chronicle's story also has details on the hazing. "Sadistic" is the term.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...NGK9BKG681.DTL

"There won't be another time," President Paul Zingg said Thursday. "This is the last straw."

Chico State officials are looking into expelling the four students who attend the university and allegedly were involved in the crime. Zingg said he will decide this spring whether fraternities and sororities at the school, known for its wild parties, will be allowed to remain -- something some fraternity and sorority members resent.

Heidi Hedberg, a sophomore who lives in a sorority house across the street from Chi Tau, said the fraternity "screwed up the entire Chico State Greek system for the rest of us."

[33girl]

If it's a state sponsored school, the most they can do is derecognize the fraternities & sororities and even doing that is questionable in its legality.

If they do do that however, the "good" groups will play by the rules and disband, and more than likely the "bad" groups will continue on (with or without national support) and get even more out of control...with more incidents like this likely to result.

Chico can't kick students out for belonging to off campus groups which is what the Greeks would be. They'll have no way to discipline what goes on or the people who join the groups.

Derecognition never solves problems, it only makes them worse.

Psych Tau is right, this is one situation where the rest of the Greek community have to do something...

IFC members wanted to make it so any panhellenic sorority that socialed with Chi Tau would not be allowed to social with any other IFC fraternity as incentive for the fraternity to disband- but our greek advisor wouldn't allow it.

Why couldn't the sororities make this decision on their own, who cares what the Greek advisor says? If Chi Tau is that big of a-holes, why does anyone WANT to have a mixer with them?? For that matter, the fraternities could do this without the Greek advisor "approving" it. They hear ABC sorority mixed with Chi Tau, and surprise, all the fraternities that have ABC on their social calendar plan to cancel. I don't normally condone things like this but obviously this fraternity is really bad news but they are continuing on because SOMEONE is supporting them.

[AlphaPhiBubbles]

Originally posted by 33girl
Why couldn't the sororities make this decision on their own, who cares what the Greek advisor says? If Chi Tau is that big of a-holes, why does anyone WANT to have a mixer with them?? For that matter, the fraternities could do this without the Greek advisor "approving" it. They hear ABC sorority mixed with Chi Tau, and surprise, all the fraternities that have ABC on their social calendar plan to cancel. I don't normally condone things like this but obviously this fraternity is really bad news but they are continuing on because SOMEONE is supporting them.

I know that my particular chapter never socialed with them for this reason, and I don't even know the exact groups that did. I have a feeling that some sororities still socialed with these guys because....well sadly but honestly enough....not every other fraternity would social with them. This idea was IFC's idea and I don't think it was even brought to panhellenic. I'm not on panhellenic, so I don't know all the details...either way it's in hindsight now, because I doubt Chi Tau will stick around or any sorority would even think about socialing with them now.

[adpiucf]

33 is right. Students will continue to haze other students, regardless of whether the university recognizes those students as an official group participating in a school-sanctioned activity.

Even if they derecognized the Greeks at Chico and those Greeks operated underground, the university would still be able to expel students who caused harm to another student through hazing or other physical torture (which is certainly what the water hazing incident was). Either way, students are not at liberty to torture other students.

On the other hand, if the football team was caught doing this, I wonder if they would be so quick to threaten banning football?

What a screwed up situation-- and not just at Chico. I mean in general. Why is there this inherent human need to absorb groupthink mentality and throw all common sense out the window? No one goes to college and aspires to drink himself to death or to be beaten to a bloody pulp. Is the fear of being ostracised by one's peers really such a deep motivator to do things you know are wrong?

[Tom Earp]

This is just another typical knee jerk reaction.

Oh OH OHHHH, a group with a Greek Name did a badie, ergo, kick off all Greeks.

It makes one wonder just what these supposedly Academians have between their ears?

We must suffer because of a non sanctioned group. This picture is totally wrong.

Lets get with it Oh Great Brains Of Colleges, it is a single group, or a few individuals of any group that do this sort of thing. If it is the whole group, boot them off campus, if it is a few uncondoned members, boot them off of campus. But to Boot the whole system off of campus?

Does stupid come to mind?


Remember, there is a difference between stupid and ignorant!

[AlphaPhiBubbles]

this is kind of irrelevant...but i just wanted to add that Chico State has no football team

but i will say that I personally know many LAX players and I know they have a "hell week" (they even call it this) which I'm sure much hazing goes on during.

[Tom Earp]

Is that LAX or LXA?

There is a big difference!