smu κα suspension elicits varied responses

An article in the Southern Methodist University's Daily Campus surveys the widely varied responses to the university's decision to suspend the local Kappa Alpha Order. The general tenor of the colloquy was surprise—mostly at the suddenness of the action, but also that KA was singled out when other fraternities were guilty of equal if not greater infractions. Many commenters pointed to the local Sigma Alpha Epsilon as a greater threat to pledges and members:

I think they should have gotten kicked off. I mean they have a history hard drug use, numerous incidents of female students accusing them of abuse, had a kid almost overdose on drugs, an exhaustingly researched investigative article expose wide spread problems, and had a member tragically and fatally overdose in the fraternity house...oh wait that was SAE.

Most agreed that regardless of others' sins, KA was certainly worthy of expulsion, though Beta Theta Pi brother James Lucente thought they should have been given one more chance given that the spring rush had already ended and pledging was underway. The most poignant perspective was offered by the mother of a KA pledge whose admission has been rudely interrupted by the suspension: "A piece of college life he looked so forward to has been stripped away because of the actions of a few....and the decision of one." SMU has offered to place KA pledges with other fraternities, but that "seems like a crappy consolation," wrote Mr Lucente. And a Delta Delta Delta sister expressed sympathy for the dispossessed pledges, but espoused a "rules are rules" attitude.

SMU Daily Campus