Northwestern Suspends DTD: HQ & U Investigating

[exlurker]

The Daily Northwestern reports that both the university and fraternity HQ are investigating allegations related to a party about ten days ago:

http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/vne.../4016167968ec3

Really unfortunate if the allegations are found to be true. Actually, unfortunate for the young lady and the fraternity no matter what is found, due to the rather sensational nature of the story.

[DeltAlum]

This is sad. If it's true, what the hell were they thinking?

I'm sure glad I don't have to help investigate this one. What a mess. We have no tolerance for stuff like this. I know Garth Eberhart (Delt official quoted), and he is a straight shooter. If the allegations are true, that chapter is history for at least a few years.

Can someone help me with one question about the article, though? Is the alleged victim (The Communications major), the girl who was "having sex" with someone in the Library as per the "tradition?" In other words, did these guys and "photographers" interrupt her and the "pledge" during sex? Or did I misinterpret the story?

Not that it makes the alleged actions of the group any better.

Damn.

[AGDee]

DA, I interpreted the article the same way you did. I found myself wondering if the young woman knew about the "tradition" ahead of time or has heard rumors of it since the incident.

Dee

[Rudey]

She knew this happened and still did it.

-Rudey
--It seems to me the only thing she's upset about is the fact that they have proof she did it.

[LXAAlum]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
This is sad. If it's true, what the hell were they thinking?

Can someone help me with one question about the article, though? Is the alleged victim (The Communications major), the girl who was "having sex" with someone in the Library as per the "tradition?" In other words, did these guys and "photographers" interrupt her and the "pledge" during sex? Or did I misinterpret the story?

Not that it makes the alleged actions of the group any better.

Damn.

From the article - the alleged victim states:

"I do know they have this tradition. I've heard they've done that to several girls in previous years."

Not a very bright decision on her part. Not that it at all excuses the actions of these "pledges/brothers" of a fraternity. Still, all things considered, based on the article - she shares culpability in this case.

Wow.


It's amazing how "judgement of your own actions" can take a vacation during your youth, isn't it?

[PsychTau]

If she knew about the tradition beforehand and willingly participated in it, then the act itself isn't the issue (in my opinion). In the article I didn't see where she was saying that she was having sex against her will. Course, I don't know that HQ would be happy hearing about that tradition...

I think the problem lies in the fact that other brothers/pledges came into the room, would not leave, and took pictures. THAT is the part that will get them into trouble. THAT is the unexcusable part of this.

If we're interpreting this article right, she does share culpability in the case.

PsychTau

[JaimeNicole]

As bad as I feel for her, its her fault for putting herself in that position if she did infact know that it was a tradition (as silly of a tradition it is). Its like bugs and a bug zapper - the lil bug watches all its friends get zapped, and still flies into the blue light!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by LXAAlum
From the article - the alleged victim states:

"I do know they have this tradition. I've heard they've done that to several girls in previous years."

Since I have been fairly outspoken and critical of other fraternities here in the past, I am very cognizant of not looking at this case differently because it is my own Fraternity. In fact, I may take a harder stance.

However, I've now re-read the article and tried to digest it more carefully.

If the alleged incident did take place, my brother Delts made a big mistake and deserve stiff punishment.

However, in her own words it appears that, knowing about this supposed "tradition" in advance, she decided to have consentual sex in the library with someone she doesn't even know! In the library -- not someone's room. I've been to the Northwestern Delt House, but didn't see the library -- but one would suspect that it is a "common area," and probably not particularly private. Of course that's speculation on my part.

Notice that there is no mention of alcohol, drugs or charges of assault or rape, at least to this point in time.

Then she comments:

"It has upset me that there are people like this at my school," she said. "I just think its really sick and I don't understand how these people were raised to make them think this is OK."

That road goes in both directions. I'm pretty disgusted with both sides in this one.

[PsychTau]

DeltAlum,

I'm interpreting the article to say that she knew who she had sex with. I'm going out on a limb and assuming that she knew the guy and he possibly let her know about the tradition and they arranged to "do the deed" so he could fulfil that tradition. But I don't think the pictures were part of the tradition. This statement in the article leads me to believe that:

But she said the tradition took a strange turn when about 20 fraternity members entered the library while she was there and refused to leave.

Of course, we're relying on only one newspaper article that is quite possibly slanted. Caveat emptor, I guess.

(Although I still love to analyze the hell out of things. Does that make me bad? )
PsychTau

[ThetaGrrl]

Wow, this is a tough one, isn't it?

It does sound like this girl knew about the "tradition." However, tradition aside, when you choose to do anything of that nature in a public place, you are taking the chance that you can get caught. I agree that the boys shouldn't have taken pictures- it's disrespectful. But, if you want to keep those things private, do it behind a locked door.

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally posted by ThetaGrrl
It does sound like this girl knew about the "tradition." However, tradition aside, when you choose to do anything of that nature in a public place, you are taking the chance that you can get caught. I agree that the boys shouldn't have taken pictures- it's disrespectful. But, if you want to keep those things private, do it behind a locked door.

Exactly..........

I've been asked more than once if I've ever "done it in a public place" and this would be why I will always answer NO.

[DeltAlum]

Psych Tau,

I think you may be right after yet another reading of the article.

ETA here is a link to the story in the Trib. It doesn't add much with the exception that the University apparantely hasn't decided yet whether the incident is bad enough to warrant a "full" suspension. Which seems strange given the gravity of the article in the student newspaper. I suppose it could be that the university is being purposely careful in it's approach -- or that the student paper might have overblown this a little. Obviously, I hope the latter is the case -- but I'm not holding my breath.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...-newslocal-hed

Here's a short excerpt from the article:

"The university has not turned its investigation over to police and has not determined whether it will do so, Pendleton said.

"At this point we don't know the outcome or where this will be adjudicated," he said.

Delta Tau Delta has not had previous trouble at Northwestern, officials said.

"It's the first time we've had to do an investigation like this in recent history," said Garth Eberhart, assistant executive director of Delta Tau Delta International.

"We've done a joint suspension, with Northwestern University and Delta Tau Delta, until we can determine the facts of what happened here," he said. "We're not at the point where we can provide a written statement of fact. We should be able to wrap this up by the end of the week."

The university has suspended five fraternities during the last six years because of inappropriate behavior, Pendleton said. Delta Tau Delta's situation differs from the others because the university hasn't decided whether a full suspension is warranted, he said."

[hoosier]

I wonders if the 'watchers' were the other pledges or the brothers?
I think we can say goodbye to another one at NU.
-------------
Officials examine incident at Delt

Chapter suspended during inquest; female freshman says lewd photos were taken
By Jerome C. Pandell
January 27, 2004

University officials have suspended Northwestern's chapter of Delta Tau Delta fraternity pending the investigation of an incident involving a female Communication freshman that she says took place at the chapter house more than a week ago.


Kyle Pendleton, NU's associate director of fraternity and sorority life, said the suspension -- which prevented the chapter from participating in Gone Greek Night activities on Friday -- was endorsed by the fraternity's national headquarters and requires Delt members to cease all chapter operations, including meetings, formals and social exchanges with sororities.

"The university is currently partnering and working with Delta Tau Delta's national organization to conduct an investigation into an alleged incident that occurred the weekend of Jan. 17," said Pendleton, who added that he could not speculate when the investigation would be completed. "We hope to be expedient."

Drew Suszko, president of Delt's now-suspended NU chapter, said he could not comment on why the fraternity was suspended.

"We are cooperating to the fullest extent with the university's investigation in the hopes of a quick and appropriate resolution," said Suszko, a McCormick sophomore.

Pendleton also said he could not comment on the nature of the incident or who was involved.

A female Communication freshman, who asked not to be named, told The Daily on Monday that the incident involved her and one of the fraternity's freshman pledges. She said the incident took place during a floor party sponsored by Delt to kick off "walk-in night," a Jan. 17 event at which the new pledges slept overnight in the chapter room of the fraternity house.

"Some guy is supposed to have sex with the girl up in their library on that night," the Communication freshman said. "I do know they have this tradition. I've heard they've done that to several girls in previous years."

But she said the tradition took a strange turn when about 20 fraternity members entered the library while she was there and refused to leave.

"I was screaming for them to get out and they wouldn't get out," she said. "They were all just standing around, laughing and joking."

The Communication freshman said three fraternity members took lewd photos of her before the group left the room three or four minutes later.

She said she then left the chapter house immediately.

University officials contacted her Wednesday about helping with the investigation, she said. Pendleton told The Daily that he could not comment on whether NU's Sexual Assault Hearings and Appeals System is involved in the investigation.

The Communication freshman said the photos taken of her were distributed to other students, including people not in the fraternity. She said she doesn't know if the freshman pledge she was with knew the members would enter the room.

Calling the past week difficult, the Communication freshman said many people have been very supportive.

"It has upset me that there are people like this at my school," she said. "I just think its really sick and I don't understand how these people were raised to make them think this is OK."

A national leader at Delt's Indianapolis headquarters said the organization supports NU's decision to suspend the chapter and will cooperate fully with the investigation.

"We're trying to sort it all out," said Garth Eberhart, Delt's national assistant executive vice president. "We've got a good, long history there at the university, and we expect that will continue going forward."

Weinberg junior Mitch Holzrichter, who is outgoing risk management chairman of the Interfraternity Council, said IFC leaders would wait until the completion of the investigation by NU officials before taking any action. Holzrichter, who recently was elected IFC president, also serves as advertising manager of Students Publishing Co., which oversees The Daily.

Pendleton said he could not speculate about the outcome of the investigation. In past cases, however, suspension of a fraternity often has resulted in NU administrators and national fraternity leaders deciding to revoke a chapter's charter.

University officials suspended Kappa Sigma fraternity in June for improprieties at a spring formal at the Shedd Aquarium. The suspension caused Kappa Sig's national organization to revoke the fraternity's charter after NU cited Kappa Sig for vandalism, alcohol use, safety issues, animal endangerment and reckless behavior.

In May 2001, NU administrators indefinitely suspended the operations of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity after two members were sent to the hospital in February 2001 following an off-campus party.

NU's chapter of Sigma Chi, which will return to NU in Spring Quarter, had its charter suspended by the fraternity's executive committee in August 2000 because of alcohol and probation violations. At the time, the fraternity was on probation because chapter members had brought two strippers to their house for an April 1999 pledge event.

[DeltAlum]

A quick hijack.

One of the things I think we do reasonably well in Delt is deal with the media in this kind of situation.

Two things to note:

In the student newspaper, only the chapter president was quoted. That is the way it should be -- either the Chapter Advisor, the President or a designated media relations member or someone from the (inter)national office.

Second, in statements from the Central Office, there is no stonewalling and no game playing. A high ranking official points out the actions that have been and are being taken, says that he can't yet comment on the outcome of the investigation since it's still in progress, and gives a date when he hopes he can provide more information.

It makes the Fraternity seem cooperative and very above board and gives no reason for a reporter to suspect that anything is being hidden.

So, to review briefly, chapter members should not talk to the media, the media should never be lied to or misled, but rather be cooperative and forthright.

[exlurker]

DeltaAlum, excellent points about media relations.

The NBC TV station in Chicago has their version of the story on their web site in the "education" section.

http://www.nbc5.com

Not too much new info, but the report does say that fraternity members say there is no such "tradition," and also say that the photographs and negatives have been destroyed (not, apparently, shown widely around campus).