ATO-Mich.:A disposable camera, photos taken during “Hell Week”

[hoosier]

ATO charter suspended

Some members speculate that hazing may have led to punitive measures
By Laura Van Hyfte, Daily Staff Reporter
April 11, 2005


The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity was suspended by its national organization on Friday for reasons that are as of yet unclear.

Jon Krasnov, spokesman for the Interfraternity Council, said the suspension was motivated by “risk management.”

After being notified of the unexpected suspension, ATO alumni and pledges have tried to discover what brought it on.

“We knew nothing about this until last Friday,” ATO member Tim MacGuidwin said. “It was very much a shock to everyone in the house.”

ATO was prevented from finishing Greek Week activities. Sources differed on why this happened.

Greek Week Steering Committee Chair Travis Foley said the Office of Greek Life informed him that ATO was prevented by its national organization from participating because the fraternity was no longer in good standing.

“(OGL) talked to their national, and they said that they were no longer recognized as a chapter,” Foley said. “They’re not in good standing with their national, which terms as not being in good standing with the Interfraternity Council as well.”

But Krasnov said the relationship between IFC and ATO was not in jeopardy.

“They were instructed to cease all operations related to the fraternity temporarily,” Krasnov said. “This includes Greek Week and attending IFC meetings.”

“ATO has the full support of the IFC,” he added.

University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said the suspension pertained to “loss prevention.”

“The term ‘loss prevention’ is typically used if (the national chapters) have concerns that the facilities are not being taken care of,” she said.

Many speculated about whether the suspension was related to hazing. MacGuidwin said the reasons for the ATO suspension involved more than facility damage and prevention of building abuse.

A disposable camera containing photos taken during “Hell Week” — an initiation period for fraternity pledges with activities designed to build brotherhood — was found in the house by a maintenance man, who developed the photos and gave them to ATO’s national organization, MacGuidwin said. It is uncertain whether the film contained incriminating photos, he added.

MacGuidwin added that the maintenance man had been hired by the fraternity’s alumni “to do check-ups.”

But the contents of the camera are not the only reason for ATO’s suspension, MacGuidwin said.

“Some other things that he found at the house throughout the course of the year added to the suspension,” he said. “We were not informed that he was gathering things,”

“It was all very underhanded,” MacGuidwin said. “In my opinion, it was malicious and out of this world.”

Krasnov denied that ATO’s suspension was in response to any form of hazing.

“At this time, there is no belief that the investigation or suspension is related to anything associated with or related to hazing,” he said.

[Kevlar281]

Unreasonable search and seizure?

[kddani]

Originally posted by Kevlar281
Unreasonable search and seizure?

Well, first, there's no such thing as "unreasonable" search and seizure. There's such thing as illegal search and seizure, but that's not the case here.

Second, the government (i.e. police) were not involved so there's no such right.

Plus the maintenance man was hired by the alumni to check up on things.

[WCUgirl]

Is this the same maintenance man that worked on that Delta Zeta house?

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Since when do "maintenance men" take disposable cameras that belong to someone else and develop the pictures? Something about that story is very fishy.

[AGDee]

Perhaps when they're asked to look for/find evidence of wrongdoing?

In my experience, the rumors fly when a chapter loses it's charter and the truth is, only the people who made the decision know all of the real reasons for the decision. It sounds like everything else is just speculation.

Dee

[Tom Earp]

First off,

this article sounds like a giddiup two step and a mouth full of crap.

Secondly,

the maintanance guy should be charged with theft.

Right or wrong, that is not the way to go about things.

But right or wrong, if they did not have this type of evidence, or done what they, they would not have gotten suspended.

[mmcat]

sounds like perhaps a bit of a set up deal to me...

[PhoenixAzul]

why take THAT specific camera? for all he knew, it could have had wedding photos on it. What made it so suspicious that he picked it up and took it? I know there are disposable cameras all over my sorority house, but it's because we like to take pictures of ourselves during events so we can scrapbook...this sounds weird to me.

[AGDee]

You are all assuming that a member of a fraternity that was just suspended, who is talking to the press, is being totally honest. Members of a fraternity who've just been suspended are usually pretty angry and feeling vengeful. When we had to clean house at one of our chapters, the members who lost their badges that night told the press all kinds of things that weren't true and that had nothing to do with their suspensions. The spokesman for IFC said it didn't have anything to do with hazing. The spokesperson for the University said it didn't have to do with hazing. The member who just lost his chapter said the maintenance man stole a camera, had pictures developed and even he isn't saying that was the only reason. Over the years, I've learned to hold my judgment until the full story is released... and it may never be. For all we know, the person who took the camera gave the pictures to their headquarters to show them the wrong doings that were going on and they are protecting that person by saying the maintenance man did it. We simply don't know. The article even starts out saying that the reason is unknown. Believe me, when someone is a whistleblower, we go to great lengths to protect that person from harassment.

Dee

[KSigkid]

That sounds very odd - a guy hired by the fraternity to work at a chapter's house, then takes a camera and incriminating evidence and gives it to the fraternity? Also, I've never heard of a fraternity suspending a chapter without giving explicit reasons why.

[exlurker]

Update: ATO HQ has revoked the charter of the U. of Michigan chapter. Risk management issues and the condition of the house are cited in the articles in the student paper and the Detroit Free Press.

http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/d.../425ba02fe1565

http://www.freep.com/news/metro/frat.12e_20050412.htm

Apparently students will be allowed to live in the house until the end of this month, but initiates are now alumni and pledges have been released.

[DeltAlum]

"Wynn Smiley, chief executive officer of ATO’s national organization, said the chapter’s closing was prompted by risk management violations, including lack of respect for the chapter’s house by fraternity members. However, Smiley stressed that no incriminating photos were received by the national fraternity, an issue that was speculated to be a factor in the decision to close the chapter. Smiley declined to further elaborate on the risk management violations.

“(The chapter) was not under a magnifying glass of scrutiny, but risk management violations are unacceptable today,” Smiley said. “If we thought reform was possible, we would’ve gone down that road.”

It appears likely that the "disposable camera" charge may have been started by a disgruntled member -- as I believe Dee speculated above.

It's possible that it happened, and the national is hiding it -- but that wouldn't be very bright on their part because it could/would come out sooner or later.

Sounds like these guys just trashed their house.

We have some experience with that, and closing the chapter is about all you can do after the behavior continues for a while.

[Tom Earp]

DeltAlum, dont you just love to hear of Members Trashing a House because they may have been stupid and gone against National Policy?

Example:

Un. Ark. LXA Chapter was suspended, the house was rented to another Fraternity. It is a fantastic house as have been there, the the Group that rented it trashed it when LXA was Re-Chartered there.

Example:

Shippensburg, Pa., LXA bought a House from a Group that was closed, they trashed the hell out of it and blamed LXA for having them kicked off of campus.

When a Group is suspended, they dont seem to realize, that some day there may be a chance to return. But, things like this will prolong any chance of that.