Getting Disgusted...

[DeltAlum]

It's getting worse:

Daily Lobo
University of New Mexico
April 24, 2002

Fraternity violations reach boiling point
By: Iliana LimÛn


University administrators are considering revamping how they treat
Greek organizations after one fraternity's national charter was
revoked and a member of a separate fraternity was accused of raping a
student.

The national office of Sigma Chi fraternity revoked the UNM chapter's
charter April 20 after reviewing a series of violations it received
from the Dean of Students Office.

The decision by the national office means the group cannnot use the
fraternity name and effectively has been dissolved.

In a different incident March 23, an 18-year-old student accused a
Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member of raping her during a party at
the group's house at 1705 Mesa Vista Rd. SE. The woman, who is a
member of a UNM sorority, told police that she had been drinking
alcoholic beverages. She named Matt J. Stafford, 22, as a possible
suspect.

"As an institution, we are again having to ask ourselves why we are
having these chronic problems," Dean of Student Randy Boeglin said.
"We may have to address what role alcohol plays with the Greek
organizations in terms of bad decision-making. This is a cycle that
we have to break."

The fraternities and the woman involved in the altercation could not
be reached for comment. Boeglin said that the University has
conducted a hearing with the Sigma Phi Epsilon members about alcohol
violations noted in the woman's police report.

He added that the individual facing sexual assault charges has a few
days to respond to a complaint from his office. If he chooses to
ignore the request, Boeglin may issue a judgment based on the
information his office has collected.

Boeglin said similar questions about problems with fraternities and
sororities had surfaced in the past and the recent problems only
punctuated the need for great University attention.

"We have to make it clear that this behavior is not acceptable," he said.

The problems that led to the national office's decision to revoke
Sigma Chi's charter began in December 2000 when a fraternity member
taped a swastika to a black female student's illegally parked car.

In response to the incident, which drew several campus protests and
received national attention, the University placed the fraternity on
probation.

Boeglin said the group proceeded to violate the probation and accrued
numerous rule violations during the past few months. The infractions,
according to Boeglin, included:

l Alcohol consumption in violation of Greek life policy;

l Alcohol consumption on the roof of the fraternity house;

l Catcalls from fraternity members that disrupted students'
educational experience;

l Damaging an Angel Fire, N.M., hotel during a recent fraternity event.

"We notified the national organization that we were pursuing an
investigation based on all of these reported violations, and they
decided to go ahead and revoke the charter after reviewing the
information we sent them," he said. "They benefited from not having
to worry about due process and being able to act quickly, while we
have to give so many days notice and allow for hearings."

The University will continue its hearing scheduled for Friday to
determine potential punishment for the violations despite the
national chapter's decision that effectively dissolves the group.

"We want to send a message to the rest of the Greek organizations
that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, so we will issue a
ruling," Boeglin said.

The Sigma Chi house north of Dane Smith Hall is owned by the national
organization, which controls the future of the property. The national
office could not be reached for comment.

While admonishing the two fraternities for the incidents, Boeglin did
note that the Greek community has made significant contributions to
the University.

"It has healthy elements to it and provides students with a sense of
affiliation, unique leadership and contributes tremendously through
philanthropy," he said. "They do many, many wonderful things and
those should not be overlooked but that does not say that we
shouldn't pay attention to the unhealthy elements. Something needs to
change."

Boeglin said that his office will likely revamp the basic community
standards students in Greek organizations must follow to be
recognized by the University.

"We need to continue measures being implemented by the Greek Life
Office to establish a more healthy lifestyle," he said. "We can set a
bar for ourselves that we must reach. To a certain degree, it doesn't
come from external enforcement alone and has to come internally.

"It's kind of like parenting ó you can't be a parent to a child all
your life. Just as is the case with children, at some point our
fraternal communities must accept responsibility for their actions."


Delt Alum's comments:

Is anyone else just sick of this crap? No, I'm not talking about the University attitude. It appears they've used some degree of restraint. I'm talking about "our" continued breaking of our own Nationals rules and the impression that we feel "above the law."

I don't intend to go back and count them, but from reading Fraternal News, I'll bet there have been at least 30 to 40 chapters closed this school year alone -- both fraternities and sororities. Maybe more. The themes have minor variations, but for the most part are sickeningly similar. Property destruction, gang fighting, ethnic/racial slurs, hazing, alcohol poisioning, underage drinking, date rape -- death.

Dean Boeglin, quoted above, it seems to me, went out of his way to point out the positive side of Greek Life -- but the comment that struck me was his final one. The one about children taking responsibility for their actions. Are we?

I'll just comment on my own Fraternity and leave everyone else out for the moment. In the past month I've been highly chagrined to read about two suspended chapters -- one for alleged hazing, one for a huge fight with another group which ended in injuries and arrests and one alleged case of date rape. Three serious situations at three different chapters in a month.

There are a lot of things that make me proud to be an alum -- but these incidents are not part of them.

And there are groups I read about a lot more than us.

I know about the philantrophy. I know about higher graduation rates. I know about high academic standards. I know about higher contributions to alma mater. I know about higher retention rates. I know about character building. I know about leadership.

I've preached this stuff for years to those who simply want to stereotype us.

Then I read -- more and more often -- about the opposite behaviors. The bad stuff.

Please don't patronize me by saying these aren't just Greek problems. I know that. It doesn't excuse Greek Letter Organizations who do them. They're wrong, and we know it. There is no excuse. Period.

Don't tell me it's all the media's fault. That's bull. If the events didn't happen, there would be nothing to report on -- good or bad. Fairly or unfairly.

Don't talk to me about PC. That's a cop out. You can hide behind that for pretty much anything you disagree with.

I'm disgusted.

I don't want to, but I'm getting closer and closer to giving up. I can still go to alumni chapter meetings and be a part of the Fraternity without worrying about chapter closings and lawsuits in my division. I can contribute. I can still enjoy the brotherhood of other alums.

What I want to do is believe in the system and continue to try to work with the good chapters and individuals.

Maybe the man who said, "The best thing about beating your head against a brick wall is how good it feels when you stop," is right.

I don't want to stop, but I don't know how much longer I can rationalize and justify this kind of behavior -- even if it's only in a small part of the system. It poisons the entire body.

Are you undergraduates Greek men and women -- or are you petulant children who have to be led by hand through your college years, as Dean Boeglin implies? Do we need to move back toward "In Loco Parentis" with more restrictive rules, or can you act with dignity and decorum? Can you be the ladies and gentlemen your organizations are trying to build?

Do you care whether there will be Greek Life for future generations, or are you just in it for a few good times in the present and to hell with everything else?

Show us.

Clean this mess up. Stop destroying Greek Life.

It's important to us. Hopefully, it's important to you. You took a fraternal oath. Live up to it.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum