Hazing incident closes fraternity / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, September 10, 2005

September 10, 2005

One of Kansas University's oldest fraternities is closing, the result of a probe into hazing allegations.

Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc. announced Friday it was revoking the charter of its KU chapter after confirming violations "primarily related to the treatment of candidate (pledged) members."

KU Sigma Nu members learned of the closure Thursday night.

"Everybody was stunned," said Robbie Lee, a freshman. "Everybody was just disappointed and angry."

Specifics of the allegations were difficult to come by. Brad Beacham, executive director for the national organization, did not return calls Friday.

But the KU chapter was placed on probation after a 2003 hazing incident in which a freshman suffered a head injury during a ritual in which older members threw pledges into the air.

Local members said there had been no specific incident since then that triggered the closure.

"Since the first incident, (the national chapter) wanted a lot of changes, and that got us to where we are now," said Justin McAuley, a junior. "They thought there should have been a lot more progress from two years ago."

The Sigma Nu fraternity at 1501 Sigma Nu Place

Local members said the national chapter considered several practices that placed pledges in subordinate roles - including assigning chores and giving pledges a curfew - to be hazing.

But Tony Moss, a KU Sigma Nu freshman, said he didn't mind the tasks.

"I felt like I was earning my spot at Sigma Nu," he said.

Matt Bizal, a sophomore, said the fraternity was based on respect.

"You have to have respect for the house," he said. "You start low. You have to earn your way (up)."

Marlesa Roney, KU's vice provost for students success, issued a statement.

"Hazing of any kind is a violation of human dignity," the statement said. "It is always taken seriously and immediately confronted by this university. We absolutely will not tolerate this type of behavior."

On Friday morning, private security hired by Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc. reported several stolen items at its mansion, 1501 Sigma Nu Place, including two emergency exit signs, a portrait of house founders and other wallhangings, a police report said.

There was no evidence of a break-in. Lawrence Police are investigating, Sgt. Dan Ward said.

The fraternity, one of the oldest on campus, has 50 members and 24 pledges. Sixty men were living in the house. The national organization said more than 2,000 students had been members during the chapter's 121 years at KU.

KU spokesman Todd Cohen said a typical scenario would be the charter would be closed for four years, reopening only when there was a completely new class of students.

Several members were packing up Friday. They have 30 days to leave and are looking for new places to live.

"Two best years of my life," said Collin Chlebak, a junior. "It just feels like this is really unfair."

Discussion

LJWorld.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

10 September 2005
at 7:40 a.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

hurlehey (Anonymous) says…

oh no! Where are all the rich kids gonna find living quarters with group showers like they had in “the house”?!!
10 September 2005
at 9:46 a.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

mefirst (Anonymous) says…

Open the house up to the homeless!
10 September 2005
at 1:10 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

newsreader (Anonymous) says…

Hurlehey;

First off, since when did being in a fraternity mean that you are rich? I guess some of us are not mature enough to look beyond sterotypes. Secondly, fraternities do not have group showers. But since you are obviously more mature then everyone and know mor about this, please forgive me for disobeying your supreme intelligence.
10 September 2005
at 2:11 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

hurlehey (Anonymous) says…

Maturity. Like in date rapes and hazing incidents? The reasons I dropped out of the house my senior year? Oh no wait, it was because everyone there was so enlightened.
10 September 2005
at 2:43 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

compmd (Anonymous) says…

There weren't a bunch of rich kids in my fraternity. We
didn't have group showers. We didn't hurt pledges. Not
what you would expect to hear out of a frat guy, eh? Its
not just me either. There are lots of us, since we are a
part of the old group of fraternities on campus. Sigma Nu
had this coming for years, just like Phi Kappa Theta did.
For both, it was their own bad judgment and stupidity that
brought this about. I'm glad these organizations have been
forced out. When my pledge class was learning about all
the houses on campus, we were warned about a couple houses,
with Sigma Nu being one of them. A couple years later,
they almost kill a pledge after throwing him in the air.
As for the Phi Kaps, well, just ask a TKE or a Triangle for
their opinion. There is enough crap for students to deal
with in school, we don't need idiotic fraternities adding
to the mess. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
10 September 2005
at 3:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

newsreader (Anonymous) says…

Hurlehey;

I'm sorry that you're experience was far from mine and Compmd. But just as the previous statement reads, we did not haze, we did not have group showers… Perhaps our house was different, but we didn't need to use 'date rape drugs' to get girls to visit us. It's good for the KU Greek system that they are finally beginning to flush out the bad houses that ruin every else's experiences.
10 September 2005
at 4:06 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Shardwurm (Anonymous) says…

GDI ftw!

10 September 2005
at 5:10 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Jclarkson (Anonymous) says…

I lived at West Hills, across the street from the Sigma Nu frat house. I found it really interesting how a house could be so close to campus, yet many fraternity and sorority people needed the bus.

I only had a few issues with the frat house, mainly the noise on saturday nights.

As an RA in Oliver a few years ago, I had a resident move to my floor who had been kicked out of Sigma Nu. He told me some good stories of what “hazing” went on there.

I'm not sad to see the fraternity house close down, but hopefully they can put that house to good use, being it is a historical building. I guess a new fraternity will be jumping at the chance to move in there.
10 September 2005
at 5:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Horace (Anonymous) says…

How lame. These are fraternities. Christ you can't have kegs and you can't haze. What pussies we've all become.
10 September 2005
at 7:03 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Jclarkson (Anonymous) says…

Forbidding a fraternity from hazing isn't lame. It's necessary. Students have been seriously injured and even killed from hazing incidents. I dont think the University and the fraternity as a whole wants to deal with a major lawsuit so current frat brothers can have a little “fun.”

Its unfortunate, as I'm sure not EVERY fraternity at KU, or throughout the country takes it that extreme, but its been too prevelent that its given fraternities a negative light.
22 September 2005
at 10:23 a.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

alekkie (Anonymous) says…

It all comes down to an argument of defintion: What is hazing? The Merriam Webster Dictionary, when defining hazing, specifies acts of abuse, endangerment and embarassment. Should things like study hours and curfews really be considered such? Sigma Nu Chapter and KU Officials think so, given their said reason for shutting down the house. But don't these officials know that these types of things occur in every fraternity and sorority. It is part of the essence of Greek life, a place for order in the house. If the fraternity was shut down because of other, more serious incidents, then the public should be notified so that the topic can cool down a bit. Forbidding a fraternity for serious acts of hazing is not lame at all, but there should be room for some ways of initiation for freshmen pledges; its a fraternity!!