Ooooh My (Baylor & Hazing)

[exlurker]

The Houston Chronicle reports that two fraternity pledges at Baylor were hospitalized due to "alleged hazing" by the Kappa Omega Tau fraternity. (I don't know anything about a fraternity by that name -- maybe someone can help out?) Baylor has suspended the fraternity and has also suspended the fraternity pledge period for all Baylor fraternities.

Story at

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistriy...plitan/2443273

ETA: Sheesh, if that lnk doesn't work, please try

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/642221.html

(hope that does it)

Given that Baylor proudly emphasizes its Southern Baptist connections, traditions, and values, taking action against hazing that puts people in the hospital semms reasonable to me ... I mean, considering Matthew 7:12 and all.

[PhiPsiRuss]

http://www.KappaOmegaTau.com/about.php

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont....71c97384.html

[Kevin]

Suspending ALL fraternities seems a little draconian considering that the group in quesiton is a local. I know we have a chapter there. I've hung out at their "house" (more of a waay off campus communal living arrangement since actual official houses with letters are forbidden).

The University's response is a little overboard here, but isn't it always?

[Firehouse]

KOT is one of those exceptions-to-the-rule, and I've never seen anything else like it on a state campus. The only places a stong local might dominate a mixed fraternity system (nationals & locals together) are certain Ivy League schools. Dartmouth has some strong locals, but they all used to be national chapters of NIC fraternities. There were significant locals on campuses like Penn State before World War II, but they all eventually merged with some national. Clemson and Virginia Tech had strong systems of locals, but they all went national around 1970.
KOT is truely unique. They were formed as a local and refused to go national when all the other locals at Baylor affiliated with nationals in the early 1970s. Not only did they remain local, but they maintained the status of being considered by most everyone to be the strongest, most prestigeous fraternity at Baylor. For years, the Baylor University website has listed all the IFC fraternities together and KOT was listed separately, but among students KOT held the highest ranking.
I met with their officers years ago in an attempt to get them to go national. I remember telling them that they had no chance of competing against a system of strong nationals. Man, was I wrong! I can't access the Houston Chronicle article, and I am sorry that boys were hurt through hazing - what a waste! - but I can tell you that KOT is one of the strongest fraternity chapters I've ever seen. That's almost impossible for a local to maintain. They are unique.

[thetalady]

Originally posted by ktsnake
Suspending ALL fraternities seems a little draconian considering that the group in quesiton is a local.

I can kind of understand their reaction. Remember the hell that Baylor has been through in the past year. Baylor has understandingly become very, very touchy when it comes to ANY kind of negative publicity. This is a Baptist university that tends not to tolerate much outside the line anyway.

First: Although it has nothing to do with Greeks, there was the murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy, by his roommate/ teammate Carlton Dotson.

Second: The coach told players to lie to investigators and imply that Dennehy was dealing drugs in an attempt to cover up possible NCAA infractions.

Third: the coach was fired, the athletic director resigned. The Baylor president may not have a long future there either.

I know NONE of this has anything to do with Greeks. I think the administration has just become VERY strict on everyone as a result.

[exlurker]

thetalady,

You're right on the mark, at least as I see it. The sports murder and the coach's behavior were in the news for weeks. Baylor probably wants to appear to have this latest mess under control. An additional pressure may be that other Texas schools have recently had Greek hazing stories that made and stayed in the news -- Southern Methodist, North Texas, and so on.

Plus, of course, Baylor, like any other university, undoubtedly cares deeply about each and every tutiton paying unit, I mean student.

[Rudey]

Any idea why you think they remained so strong?

I can see it at Ivies and other "elite" schools since many of those kids are about exclusivity.

-Rudey

Originally posted by Firehouse
KOT is one of those exceptions-to-the-rule, and I've never seen anything else like it on a state campus. The only places a stong local might dominate a mixed fraternity system (nationals & locals together) are certain Ivy League schools. Dartmouth has some strong locals, but they all used to be national chapters of NIC fraternities. There were significant locals on campuses like Penn State before World War II, but they all eventually merged with some national. Clemson and Virginia Tech had strong systems of locals, but they all went national around 1970.
KOT is truely unique. They were formed as a local and refused to go national when all the other locals at Baylor affiliated with nationals in the early 1970s. Not only did they remain local, but they maintained the status of being considered by most everyone to be the strongest, most prestigeous fraternity at Baylor. For years, the Baylor University website has listed all the IFC fraternities together and KOT was listed separately, but among students KOT held the highest ranking.
I met with their officers years ago in an attempt to get them to go national. I remember telling them that they had no chance of competing against a system of strong nationals. Man, was I wrong! I can't access the Houston Chronicle article, and I am sorry that boys were hurt through hazing - what a waste! - but I can tell you that KOT is one of the strongest fraternity chapters I've ever seen. That's almost impossible for a local to maintain. They are unique.

[Firehouse]

"Why do you think they remained strong?"
Well, it's a good question. Let me think out loud. What are the fundamentals of a consistently superior fraternity chapter? First, they establish and maintain their "personality" within a fairly rigid template. For instance, the fraternity that is always the largest, always has the most varsity athletes and always has the most student leaders - always - is going to be viewed as consistently superior.
Second, in my experience the consistently superior chapter benefits from strong and sustaining alumni support. Not the recent grads, but the guys over forty who raise money, organize events and work directly with chapter officers. You can tell right away who these chapters are when you enter a campus. For example, look at Kappa Sigma at LSU: off campus for years, and then almost instantaneously back among the leaders as soon as they recolonized.
KOT at Baylor is the beneficiary of circumstances. It's a very conservative school with lots of traditional "Greek types". KOT was the leader on campus when all the fraternities were locals. As the locals affiliated with nationals, KOT remained independent and aloof. Most important, they maintained their identity, their template of success. And, I must assume that they can count on strong and sustaining alumni support.
I still think it was difficult-to-near-impossible to do what they have done. I suspect - and this is just a guess because I've seen it before elsewhere and this would explain a lot - is that for 25 years or more they've had one alumnus who has been the leader in focusing the chapter's attention on an unclouded horizon. I can think of national chapters that have dominated a reputation for 25 years - Beta at Missouri, SAE or DKE at Alabama, ATO at Florida, Delts at Kentucky, and Kappa Sig at Arkansas are some examples - but I've never seen a local do it, or even come close. Maybe I did them a favor by failing to convince them to go national back in that long ago fall of 1977.

I would strongly argue that Kappa Omega Tau is the bet fraternity on Baylor's campus. I just graduated from there and had some friends in the chapter and have always thought they were great guys. They were founded in 1960 and despite countless efforts, they refuse to go national. They win intramurals, have awesome functions, have great alum support, host all university events (Back to School Dance, Spring Premier), do mission trips (most of the guys are strong Christians), always do really well in the Homecoming Parade float competition, date the most beautiful girls on campus, and they have made Pigskin every year for the last 25 years. (Ever year at All University Sing, the top 8 acts are invited to perform at Pigskin Review during Homecoming the following semester). Anyway, despite all that, they are obvioulsy not perfect. Rudey you asked how they have stayed so strong all these years and it's because they are very selective, very picky, and hold themselves to a standard unlike any other fraternity on campus. Their letters stand for "Knights of Tradition" and tradition and brotherhood is what makes them so great. They are kind of the model frat for Baylor, and Baylor loves them. How does this have anything to do with the basketball fiasco with Coach Bliss? Neither Baylor's athletic programs nor it's Greek life system are perfect, but then again, whose is? I've never heard of anything like this happening before with KOT, at least not while I was there. I'm not saying that I agree with what happened, or that I don't believe it, but I think it's really sad. They are a great bunch of guys, and it's sad that they messed up this bad. Oh, most of the guys have brands but they swear they weren't required to get them. The brand is an Omega, usually on their arm. I guess that could be kind of controversial.

[hey]

KOT is a local fraternity at Baylor. They are kind of THE fraternity of Baylor. They have huge support from the faculty and alums. I think any other fraternity would be kicked-off campus for this kind of hazing, but if anyone can get away with it, it's the KOT's.