2 Fraternity Brothers Caught Breaking Into Sorority House

[PiKA2001]

Was the house empty?

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Was the house empty?

The video in the first post, which is the only news story I've been able to find, states the house was empty other than the house mom. With school being out a week by then I wouldn't expect the girls to be there. More often than not we close our houses for the summer and do maintenance, whereas many men keep their homes open and sorority women rent summer housing. Sigma Chi has apartment style housing here and many women share during summer school.

Let's just say if I were to ever prank someone or someones I'd actually want them to find out so I could see their reaction and then have a good laugh and wait for my turn. I'm the kind of person to leave clues, a "ransom note" and identify myself somehow. I sure as hell wouldn't break in or destroy anything, nor would I surprise someone alone right before dawn. Not that our house moms would be carrying concealed weapons due to our insurance policies but in general I assume people are armed and I'd like to avoid getting shot as well as breaking the law.

ETA: I forgot this in my previous post. There is no mention of alcohol being a factor, but they were arrested at 5 am or something like that. I just kind of assumed at 5 am on a Saturday the decision to break into unoccupied Pi Phi, except for the house mom, was brought to us by the letters L-I-Q-U-O-R. Since they are both 19 that would be another charge but with felony burglary an MIP isn't really worth the court's time. Since they are 19 there could be something from before 18 that could come back and be a bigger problem if they had a special situation for previous issues that was a condition of straightening up and flying right.

[ree-Xi]

Breaking into sorority houses, regardless of the intent, reminds me of serial killer Ted Bundy's crime spree that took place after sneaking into a sorority house.

Just reading the accounts is enough to put images in your head, not to mention if you had seen the tv movie.

As a woman, one of my biggest fears is someone breaking into my house while I sleep. Whether it's done as a prank or any other reason doesn't matter. I live too close to a family who lost two teenaged daughters and their mothers to a home invasion not to fear the worst.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

IMO it's not about Greeks or boys...more "kids will be kids". And kids do dumb shit. They should be punished, they should be sent the message that there's no excuse for it, but for things like this (where it's pretty obvious they were just being morons) it shouldn't ruin their futures.

College students are young adults. They’re not kids. I stole a few pieces of candy when I was younger. I lied repeatedly. I climbed onto the roof of my elementary school when I was 16 and was almost arrested. And I learned to cut it out once I hit college. At what point do people start being held accountable for their actions?

We make excuses for college students all the time on this site, but it’s always something along the lines of, “Well, it’s recruitment, and 18-year-old girls can be very superficial..” or “Chapters sometimes don’t see the big picture when electing a president..” etc. But picking a sorority because all of the sisters are “cute” and choosing a president because he’s popular doesn’t compare to breaking and entering. A line has to be drawn.

And what about this story made it obvious that they were just being morons? Besides the awesome excuse the guys gave for breaking in..?

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

As you said upthread, your campus didn't call the police every time something was stolen.

My campus wasn’t notified every time something was stolen, and no one employed by the campus caught them.

When I was in school, during a party, a few members of one of the sororities stole a fraternity’s lawn gnome that they had in the living room, and left a ransom note. THAT’s obviously a prank… a prank that wasn’t reported to the police by the fraternity.

However, I would expect that had that fraternity seriously felt like they were robbed (maybe not over the gnome, but instead, something of more value), I wouldn’t blame them for contacting the authorities.

Originally Posted by 33girl

It really depends on what the relationship was between these two groups as to whether it was a "harmless" prank.

Originally Posted by 33girl

All sororities have some fraternities that they are more comfy with than others, some they're getting to know, some that they're neutral on, some they just don't like and some that creep them out. 1-2 the sorority probably wouldn't care and would find it funny, 3 it depends, and 4-5 they would be upset and freaked out.

Without knowing that relationship, it's impossible to tell what the intent/result was. (The comment about "getting stuff on them" may have been taken completely out of context.) But to say that every fraternity will be treated the same just isn't true.

So… the guys who break in from Fraternity ABC can get away with it, but the guys who break in the next night from Fraternity XYZ should be punished?

You fall into a very gray area if this approach is taken.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Let's just say if I were to ever prank someone or someones I'd actually want them to find out so I could see their reaction and then have a good laugh and wait for my turn. I'm the kind of person to leave clues, a "ransom note" and identify myself somehow. I sure as hell wouldn't break in or destroy anything, nor would I surprise someone alone right before dawn. Not that our house moms would be carrying concealed weapons due to our insurance policies but in general I assume people are armed and I'd like to avoid getting shot as well as breaking the law.

Exactly.

And forget about weapons… what happened if the house mother completely freaked out and had a heart attack and died? Things can go VERY wrong in these types of situations, regardless of the fraternity members’ intentions.

I know if I was in that house and awake while that was happening, I’d be freaking out and calling the police. I think anyone would.

In conclusion (finally! ) … None of us know the whole story, or what the guys really intended to do in that house. But IMO, it’s better to play it safe. Don’t break into ANYONE else’s home, and if you do, expect to pay the consequences.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

College students are young adults. They’re not kids. I stole a few pieces of candy when I was younger. I lied repeatedly. I climbed onto the roof of my elementary school when I was 16 and was almost arrested. And I learned to cut it out once I hit college. At what point do people start being held accountable for their actions?

We make excuses for college students all the time on this site, but it’s always something along the lines of, “Well, it’s recruitment, and 18-year-old girls can be very superficial..” or “Chapters sometimes don’t see the big picture when electing a president..” etc. But picking a sorority because all of the sisters are “cute” and choosing a president because he’s popular doesn’t compare to breaking and entering. A line has to be drawn.

And what about this story made it obvious that they were just being morons? Besides the awesome excuse the guys gave for breaking in..?

We treat college students like kids, especially in the Greek system. It's the truth. The rules might be there for liability reasons, but they're also there because "kids do dumb shit". We EXPECT them to do stupid things, because otherwise the rules wouldn't be nearly so extensive (I'm referring to risk management). So do the colleges they attend. Shoot, they can't even legally drink a beer (and in my state 18 year olds can't even buy cigarettes, sign a lease, own property, etc). And if they spend a good majority of college being babysat, we can't expect them to suddenly make adult decisions at all times.

They broke in (and as someone said, likely drunk since it was in the early morning hours and only two of them...not like a big group got together and planned a panty raid or something), looked for "secrets"...there's no reason to believe they were doing anything else. If they came in with baseball bats, that would be one thing. But ruining their futures isn't a proportional response, IMO. Like I said, probation, fines, community service...and the ability to learn their lesson without ruining their lives seems fair to me.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

We treat college students like kids, especially in the Greek system. It's the truth. The rules might be there for liability reasons, but they're also there because "kids do dumb shit". We EXPECT them to do stupid things, because otherwise the rules wouldn't be nearly so extensive (I'm referring to risk management). So do the colleges they attend. Shoot, they can't even legally drink a beer (and in my state 18 year olds can't even buy cigarettes, sign a lease, own property, etc). And if they spend a good majority of college being babysat, we can't expect them to suddenly make adult decisions at all times.

They broke in (and as someone said, likely drunk since it was in the early morning hours and only two of them...not like a big group got together and planned a panty raid or something), looked for "secrets"...there's no reason to believe they were doing anything else. If they came in with baseball bats, that would be one thing. But ruining their futures isn't a proportional response, IMO. Like I said, probation, fines, community service...and the ability to learn their lesson without ruining their lives seems fair to me.

Breaking and entering is not a 'kids will be kids' or purely a risk management scenario. It is a criminal offense. We do expect college students not to commit CRIMES on a regular basis.

Why do they get special consideration of their futures, but not the 20 year old on the street who broke into a house?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

So… the guys who break in from Fraternity ABC can get away with it, but the guys who break in the next night from Fraternity XYZ should be punished?

"Should be" doesn't = "what will actually happen."

I guarantee you that if all the Pi Phis were dating PiKAs, or if they were trying to get a better relationship going with PiKA to help their campus reputation, this news story would have never seen the light of day.

Not a slight on Pi Phi, the same would most likely apply to any chapter of any sorority.

[BluPhire]

Reading through all of this I just will say the Justice System is flawed.

I would side with community service though, and some severe fines for the property damage, I wouldn't throw the book at them. The point is everythng should be case by case and we shouldn't paint every issue and every scenario with a broad brush stroke.

College kids are still kids and they are stupid. The fine alone will ride with them and their credit, but don't destroy their ability to make a life in this world by giving them a felony conviction. That just adds to our already uncontrollable justice system.

It's like the five year old charged with sexual harrassment and they were talking about having him register as a sex offender.

Let the punishment fit the crime once we get the complete information.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by BluPhire

Reading through all of this I just will say the Justice System is flawed.

I would side with community service though, and some severe fines for the property damage, I wouldn't throw the book at them. The point is everythng should be case by case and we shouldn't paint every issue and every scenario with a broad brush stroke.

College kids are still kids and they are stupid. The fine alone will ride with them and their credit, but don't destroy their ability to make a life in this world by giving them a felony conviction. That just adds to our already uncontrollable justice system.

It's like the five year old charged with sexual harrassment and they were talking about having him register as a sex offender.

Let the punishment fit the crime once we get the complete information.

This is the most likely result, however I have a hard time caring about their futures when 'kids' who don't have the same opportunities face five years in prison for the same offenses.

[BluPhire]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

This is the most likely result, however I have a hard time caring about their futures when 'kids' who don't have the same opportunities face five years in prison for the same offenses.

I figured somebody would make this statement because I thought of it myself.

The issue though is just because justice isn't fair for everyone, does not mean that injustice should be allowed to balance it out. Not saying that if the book is thrown at them it is injustice, just saying for my overall regardless of greek/non-greek, student/nonstudent.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by BluPhire

I figured somebody would make this statement because I thought of it myself.

The issue though is just because justice isn't fair for everyone, does not mean that injustice should be allowed to balance it out. Not saying that if the book is thrown at them it is injustice, just saying for my overall regardless of greek/non-greek, student/nonstudent.

Total tangent, but this is how I felt when Governor Ryan wanted to visit his wife on her deathbed.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by BluPhire

I figured somebody would make this statement because I thought of it myself.

The issue though is just because justice isn't fair for everyone, does not mean that injustice should be allowed to balance it out. Not saying that if the book is thrown at them it is injustice, just saying for my overall regardless of greek/non-greek, student/nonstudent.

I do agree in general, and probation including community service and fines with the possibility of a conditional discharge of the offense upon successful completion is probably a good idea here. However, being upset that the police were involved is a whole other matter.

And if people had been hurt, my reservations about actual sentenced time go away.