Fraternity Sues Major University - Thoughts?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

It is very similar to the Duke case with the school piling on.

Not really. In the Duke lacrosse case, it was the district attorney, not Duke, that did most of the piling on. Depsite the rhetoric quoted in the article, I'm not convinced it's very accurate to desribe this as Duke all over again.

It makes for a good soundbite though.

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Not really. In the Duke lacrosse case, it was the district attorney, not Duke, that did most of the piling on. Depsite the rhetoric quoted in the article, I'm not convinced it's very accurate to desribe this as Duke all over again.

It makes for a good soundbite though.

I disagree. The faculty at Duke did come out squarely against the Lacrosse team and in support of the stripper without the full story. A letter to the newspapers was signed by quite a few faculty members and poisoned the well against the team members so to speak. This was an effort on their part to be perceived as politically correct. The accused members of the team as well as the coach have since sued the University over the actions of the faculty. I believe several of the players have settled out of court with some suits still pending. I live 10 miles from the campus and this case was all over the local news as well as nationally. The similarities are definitely there.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

I disagree. The faculty at Duke did come out squarely against the Lacrosse team and in support of the stripper without the full story. A letter to the newspapers was signed by quite a few faculty members and poisoned the well against the team members so to speak. This was an effort on their part to be perceived as politically correct. The accused members of the team as well as the coach have since sued the University over the actions of the faculty. I believe several of the players have settled out of court with some suits still pending. I live 10 miles from the campus and this case was all over the local news as well as nationally. The similarities are definitely there.

I see your point (I'm in the same media market as well), and the faculty and administration at Duke clearly ran amok and piled on -- I shouldn't have suggested otherwise. But they did so after the criminal proceedings, which were the bigger issue, were already in high gear, and to me that seems to be a fundamental difference.

I think at the root of it, I'm just leary of any situation being labeled "the next Duke lacrosse case" (or the next whatever else) -- I tend to think that sort of tag does little but to put emotion and preconceived assumptions ahead of facts. Perhaps it's simply the lawyer in me, but when I hear the fraternity comparing its situation to the Duke lacrosse case, my reaction is to think that someone is overselling. Like I said, it makes a good soundbite.

[Firehouse]

Someone asked to be made aware of any other faternities winning cases against the university. Here are two that took place here in Florida in 2008.

I don't know what the legal title of the case was, but Pi Kappa Alpha won a landmark case against the Univerity of Florida in 2008. The way it was explained to me was that after the ruling the university asked for "clarification" which I'm told is a way for the school to make additional arguments. The judge ruled for the fraternity on all counts, dismissed all university overtures and ordered the Pike chapter reinstated immediately. But by that time the chapter had dropped from 100 members to a handful. At issue was the typical arrogance and high-handed behavior of the university. They did not follow their own rules, and disparaged the fraternity publicly. In addition, the very charges that caused the uproar proved to be false, but the university continued their bullying arrogance believing that they could not be challenged. That's what generally happens; that's the way so many schools operate. But the 100-year old Pike chapter has over 3,000 alumni. They're maintaining a skeleton chapter until they can build a new house. They're still contemplating what action they might take against the university and/or individual administrators.

The second case took place here at Florida State in 2007. Sigma Phi Epsilon's officers had to travel to Panama City overnight to attend some required IFC retreat. Four idiot brothers took 30 pledges in the winter and stuck them under a house in downtown Tallahassee. FSU Police had been tipped off. They found 30 pledges dressed in filthy t-shirts crammed underneath in freezing weather. The four Sig Eps were charged with hazing by the State Attorney and the 150-man chapter suspended.
A local judge threw out all the evidence because the FSU PD had left their own jurisdiction to come into town without informing the Tallahassee PD beforehand. Evidently this case is just one instance in an ongoing battle over jurisdiction between the two police departments. But even so, Sigma Phi Epsilon has been off campus for two years and there's no word on when they might return.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by bobie

Are colleges above the laws of the land or higher courts?

Who said that they were?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by bobie

Are colleges above the laws of the land or higher courts?

Hello Tom.