Former Lambda Chi member reveals 'severe' initiation traditions

[hoosier]

(Received this from "Fraternal news")


Northern Star
Northern Illinois University
July 16, 2003

Former Lambda Chi member reveals 'severe' initiation traditions

By Aacia Hussain, Northern Star

While some of Lambda Chi Alpha's former members continue to appeal a
Northern Illinois University decision to expel the fraternity from campus,
one man hopes to forget frightening memories of the fraternity.

"They treated us like prisoners of war during initiation week," said a
former member of the house, who agreed to speak to the Northern Star on
condition of anonymity. "They made us go crazy."

Even though other fraternities chose to carry out initiation traditions,
those at Lambda Chi were unreasonably severe, he said.

Members repeatedly were forced to drink alcohol in excessive amounts, he
said. Some members became violently ill from ingesting alcohol and using
illegal drugs, but the fraternity members in control refused to let them be
taken to the hospital.

During initiation week, the source said pledges were put into what he
described as "P.O.W. blocks." Pledges were blindfolded for 14 hours while
they were constantly watched. They were stripped down to their boxer
shorts, then wrapped in towels and placed in a room with a heater turned on.

Throughout the initiation, members endured various other mental tactics,
including not being allowed to sleep.

Pledges were kept in these blocks while they were forced to listen to a
deafening blend of satanic music and nursery rhymes. The nursery rhymes
were remixed to repeat words over and over to increase mental agony, the
source said. The music was blasted through loudspeakers while the pledges
sat blindfolded with their arms raised.

The source said pledges also were subjected to verbal abuse. Fraternity
members screamed at them and called them names to "make them crack." Some
of the pledges broke down and cried, he said.

Many of the members had their rooms broken into and their personal
belongings searched by other residents of the house.

Other members were kept under strict control and were threatened with grave
consequence if they disobeyed, he said. They were discouraged from getting
good grades if it kept them away from the house. Having a girlfriend or
doing anything that included people not affiliated with Lambda Chi was
frowned upon, he said.

"There are guys that feel they are scarred for life," the source said.

One member expelled from NIU declined to answer questions relating to the
hazing allegations.

It wasn't until seven members of the fraternity decided to come forward
this spring that the allegations came to light. After they agreed to make a
written statement detailing everything they had witnessed, University
Programming and Activities took action.

The fraternity received an appeal hearing June 23 from NIU when members of
Lambda Chi met with Michelle Emmett, associate vice provost of Student Affairs.

The university charges against Lambda Chi included physical abuse;
excessive hazing and intimidation by certain members within the fraternity;
using and selling illegal drugs; and alcohol abuse.

There are no police charges against members of the fraternity.

"I did a lot of listening," Emmett said. "They explained to me why they
felt their charter should be reinstated."

Emmett remains undecided on the decision for an appeal, and she is
investigating the case further.

"She's trying to piece together what really happened," Greek Affairs
director Chris Juhl said. "It's all up to her now."

Part of the problem is that up until the appeal hearing, members weren't
open to explaining everything that happened, Juhl said.

Several members of the fraternity have been expelled from NIU.

Judicial Director Larry Bolles doubts the appeal will succeed easily.

"It will be difficult to overturn the decision when they're still suspended
by [their national headquarters]," Bolles said.

Emmett is waiting for a response from the headquarters before casting a
final decision on the matter. She said she wants to take the time to make
her decision a fair one.

"This is their last appeal," Emmett said. "It doesn't go anywhere after this."

If an appeal is not granted, there will be no chance of the fraternity
existing at NIU for the next five years, Juhl said.

"If she does not change a single thing, that's it," he said.

Juhl has stated that some of the members within the fraternity --
especially the seven who came forward with the allegations -- felt
threatened and feared for their safety.

If Lambda Chi's suspension is not overturned with an appeal, its national
headquarters will order the letters removed from the house.

Representatives from Lambda Chi's national chapter and those appealing the
sanctions were unavailable for comment at press time.

(C) 2003 Northern Star

[LXAAlum]

Oh my dear Lord!

These were not "Lambda Chi's" in any sense of what it truly means to intiated members...

These sound like real sadistic people - I would not classify them as my brothers, if these allegations are true.

To be "scarred for life" is not what LXA is about, it is to "be changed for life"...

(Hanging head in shame...)

[steelepike]

I agree thats sad thats way too far. More reasons why hazing is bad.

[Tom Earp]

Hoosier, you posted this before I could! I was sickened to see that a Brother/s of LXA could do this!

This is NOT What LXA is all about at all!

I am sorry to see this Black mark on LXA and everything that I am MOST of the Brothers stand for! This really pisses me off!

As a Brother , I had heard that they were dis- chartered, I for one say good! This is NOT RIGHT !!!!!!

This gives not only LXA But All Greek Orgs. a bad name!

[AGDPrincess70]

[bsp-mich24]

Oh my...!!!

[mmcat]

omg...how sad.

[LeslieAGD]

It is really sick how some people go off the deep end with crazy hazing tactics.

[shadokat]

Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't the national organization just shut this chapter down, whether the appeal is successful or not? I mean, why would they want to allow this group to continue to operate? Maybe a LXA could explain

[BSUPhiSig'92]

I facilitated a session of IMPACT for the Greek community at NIU last fall. Believe me, from what I heard that weekend, Lambda Chi isn't the only chapter up there doing this stuff. I'm actually surprised that it wasn't another chapter up there that everyone said was quite blatent about their hazing.

Anyway, it's just sick, twisted, and wrong.

[Nhfulmer]

Originally posted by shadokat
Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't the national organization just shut this chapter down, whether the appeal is successful or not? I mean, why would they want to allow this group to continue to operate? Maybe a LXA could explain

I agree. LXA National should have been in there in a heartbeat and closed that chapter. This attitude must have permeated the chapter or some brothers would have put a stop to it. I assume there was no alumni involvement - an active and informed advisor would not have allowed this to happen. I realize that many fraternities do not have anyone to take this role but the chapters who do have involved advisors rarely reach this level of horrific behavior.

[justamom]

When they say they were threatened, I wonder what they said they would do.

I feel sorry for LXA, I feel sorry for those that came before the attitude change...I am assuming this is a chapter that deteriorated. You start with something so noble and in an effort to have enough numbers maybe their selection suffered. I wish I could believe there was a way to REALLY stop these kinds of things. Good point about the possible lack of an advisor Nhfulmer .

When my daughter and I were looking over "assessments", we did see some critiques saying things like-"Your advisor needs to be more involved." "Reports from you advisor are incomplete."

DO the different GLOs headquarters have any internal controls they can use on chapters without alums? Is the lack of an active alum a common thread running through renegade chapters?

[DeltAlum]

There's good and bad news here.

The good news is that, while this stuff wouldn't have been terribly uncommon when I pledged many years ago, all nationals have outlawed it now.

The bad news is that there are a still a few chapters (in every fraternity) who won't get with the program and screw things up for themselves and everyone else.

Of course, we've all said that before, haven't we?

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by justamom
DO the different GLOs headquarters have any internal controls they can use on chapters without alums? Is the lack of an active alum a common thread running through renegade chapters?

Well, we had acting chapter advisors that come from HQ every so often, and then traveling consultants came three times a year. They were able to keep the chapter maintain the big picture (keeping our chapter financially solvent, minimizing risk management problems) but the little things fall by the wayside. I wish my chapter had an advisor.

[Nhfulmer]

I was a sorority chapter advisor for many years and I can tell you I kept a short rein on them; however, I know sororities are more used to that.

My husband has been the only advisor that one chapter of his fraternity has ever had (for over 15 years) and they are consistently an award winning chapter. He attends most of their chapter meetings and their rituals - as well as officer training workshops, rush parties, etc.

From the cumulative experience that both of us have had, we firmly believe that good and involved advisors are what make the difference. The members do not view us as the "bad guys" -- actually we are viewed as combination substitue parents, big brothers/sisters and friends. We have both handled just about everything that you can imagine from personal problems to chapter problems. Since this thread is about a fraternity, I will address that. This is not the chapter where he was initiated and he became their advisor while they were a colony -- at their request, he has always been extremely involved in their chapter operations. At this point. chapter alumni are now becoming advisors to other chapters around the country as well as minor national officers and their national headquarters feels comfortable with them because of their chapter background.

Again, from both of our perspectives, if an advisor is very involved, the members feel so comfortable with him/her that they will come to him/her with problems within the chapter before they grow out of proportion. I began with the chapter I advised when they were a colony also. In both his and my cases, we never allowed these chapters to get out of hand. It would be much more difficult to have an advisor move into a chapter that was already out of control.

My husband is a national officer in his fraternity and one of the Executive Board's major goals is to see that each chapter has an involved advisor. His GLO also does not hesitate to close a chapter when they refuse to adhere to major national policies. In less difficult chapters, they also do not hesitate to send in a board of national people who interview each member and remove the trouble makers, put some on probation but allow them to stay active and help those who have the best interest of the fraternity to "clean up" the chapter.

I'm sure other fraternities do the same thing but in his case, I have seen it in action.

I hope this answered some questions as to whether or not an advisor makes the difference. Most definitely yes! Traveling consultants can help but it is the constant presence that does the trick!