rollins greek reminds readers to have fun at rush

Small colleges have greeks too; even small colleges few outside a hundred-mile radius have ever heard of, such as Rollins College in central Florida, not far from Orlando. Euphoniously named senior Graham Gilbert of the Rollins Sandspur ("The oldest college newspaper in Florida, founded 1894") has some sage words for the freshmen of today and the greek men of tomorrow: recruitment "should be a fun process."

Demonstrating truly exhaustive investigative journalism, he cites a few brothers from campus fraternities extolling the virtue of the greek system. An Alpha Tau Omega junior called fraternity events "a great way to meet good guys" (That's what she said), while a Chi Psi senior held that "Greek life is a good way to make friends not only for four years, but for life." Mr Gilbert heartily agrees, also bringing to bear a college administrator's views that brothers will be the "people attending your wedding and playing golf with you during retirement."

Mr Gilbert's article could normally be overlooked as typographical frippery but for some particularly odd idiosyncracies in his writing style. For one, the entire article is written in the second-person present tense, for example: "If you do receive and accept a bid, you will join your pledge class and the brothers of the organization..." It makes for an oddly immediate tone, as if Mr Gilbert is sitting across a dining hall table pouring forth his stream of earnest banalities. Also, he feels the need to record both the rank and year of every student mentioned in the article, referring to "a three year junior" and "a four year senior." While it may be important to identify that a student-athlete is a "true freshman" or "fifth-year senior," the same details seem irrelevant to your average voice on campus—and there seems no point at all in reaffirming that a junior has completed the expected three years of coursework.

Otherwise, frippery. Feel free to skip it, or take a look at it for a faintly out-of-body reading experience.

Rollins Sandspur

iub ifc reminds men that time remains to rush

The Interfraternity Council at Indiana University's flagship campus at Bloomington are holding a session soon to remind the student body (or rather, the half that is eligible) that rush isn't limited to the fall, and that there's still time to go greek. In contrast with many schools where the spring rush is less organized than the main autumn season, the IFC Vice President for Recruitment TJ Blair opined that "the fall rush event, typically held in Dunn Meadow, is more social and informal," while the spring rush involves touring a series of open houses. The applicant pool is still rather smaller in the spring, keeping with the experience of most campuses.

Some students, having already signed housing contracts for the upcoming year, are apprently fearful their commitments would prevent them from pursuing a fraternity. Seeking to allay such fears, Mr Blair announced rather precipitously that “it’s a misconception,” and that “most houses will help you get out of a lease.” Dangerous sentiments, since that policy sounds an awful lot like tortious interference with a contract. And that's against the law.

Indiana Daily Student

new φδθ colony at hopkins recognized by ifc

Johns Hopkins University, best known nationally for its premier medical school, is also the home to an undergraduate college with a thriving greek scene, to which a new member will be acceding soon. The Interfraternity Council has just voted to recognize a new colony of Phi Delta Theta, which has accrued 31 men as founding brothers since beginning recruitment in December. Hopkins Coordinator for Greek Life Rob Turning saw the new colony as a catalyst rather than competition for existing groups: "Usually the introduction of a new group causes the numbers of all in Greek life to go up. The new group will challenge those with lower membership to step up and improve," and an op-ed piece by the student newspaper gave its guarded support.

The guiding force has been sophomore Justin Eric Shen, who has spearheaded the effort to bring in PDT, since Hopkins prohibits national fraternities from instigating expansion on its campus. PDT sees its offerings as distinct from other fraternities: a nationally dry organization, emphasis on academics, and college leadership. The national Director for Expansion, Dustin Struble, also adverted to their values of "friendship, sound learning and rectitude."

"Sound learning"? As opposed to unsound learning? Rectitude? As in, straightness? (One assumes they refer to moral rectitude.) Every fraternity needs lofty principles, but these are bit outré.

Mr Turning also noted that "PDT also does a really good job with alumni networking and their use of technology. They even have a Facebook application to search for all members at all chapters." (Better living through Facebook: the new fraternity paradigm.) If he sounds more like an proponent for PDT rather than a neutral university overseer, he may forgiven: he is a proud PDT alumnus. The chances for Mr Shen's success with the colony look bright indeed.

Johns Hopkins News-Letter

recovering victim of auburn brawl at σφε files suit

Last week, a party at the local Sigma Phi Epsilon at Auburn University turned ugly. A trio of football players were reportedly turned away from the door by a Sig Ep brother trying to keep the event to its invited guests only, but the snubbed party-goers returned later with others, including further members of the football team. A brawl at the door and front yard of the house ensued; it remains unclear ten days later exactly who instigated the physical altercation, or who was involved—with the notable exception of Taylor Jones.

Mr Jones was hospitalized after the brawl with a serious head injury, though his condition has finally been upgraded and he appears to be recovering. Now Jones's family has filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of their son, and signed a complaint for assault in the second degree, against one Zachary Quillen, whom Jones's father claims to have cold-cocked his son from behind. Said the Jones's attorney: "Taylor, who had been invited over there by someone with a group of friends, was asked to leave by some other people that he did not know, and as he was leaving he had some words with a group of folks that included a group of Sig Eps. . . . And he was walking away and that’s when he was struck from behind by Mr. Quillen."

IFC President Bradford Stewart would not comment on any forthcoming repurcussions for Sig Ep, only allowing that "this is being approached as an individual incident, it was a single member of their fraternity. It’s hard to hold an entire fraternity accountable for the actions of one member."

Or, as Eric "Otter" Stratton once put it so well:

But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!

Of course, the law may not agree. Jones is also suing the local and national Sigma Phi Epsilon for failing to provide adequate security at the party, leading to his injury.

Auburn PlainsmanWFSA-TV 12Opelika Auburn News

ecu σφε house burns; no serious injuries reported

Brothers at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at East Carolina University were awakened in the early hours of the morning to find their house ablaze. The fire started around 6:20 AM, and the alarms wired to both university and municipal fire control systems immediately alerted authorities as well as the students. The house was amply provided with means of egress, including two rope ladders for the upper floors, but these went unused in the haste to escape the conflagration. Several brothers were helped down from the upper stories by a local resident who was first on the scene, who describes another brother leaping onto a car from an upper window.

All eight brothers in residence at the time of the fire, as well as "possibly" four always-euphemistic "overnight guests," safely evacuated the house. The only injury reported was a second-degree burn suffered by one of the brothers, which was treated on the scene by paramedics. Brothers outside the house tried to quench the flames with trashcans of water, but their efforts were in vain. The fire was not brought under control by firemen until 10:30, by which time the flames had completely gutted the house and everything left within. While at least one dog was brought out by its master, another is still missing and feared dead.

In a particularly ironic coincidence, "campus and Fire-Rescue officials were scheduled to meet today to discuss fire inspections and safety drills that take place annually in February at fraternities and sororities." Fraternity houses at ECU are required to maintain hard-wired fire detection and undergo regular fire drills, but sprinkler systems are not mandatory. Sig Ep's last drill was almost a year ago in February.

Officials at the scene have not yet determined the cause of the fire, which bystanders claim appeared to start on the porch of the house. The AP is now reporting that the fire was caused by a faulty electrical outlet. No arson is suspected.

Greenville Daily ReflectorWTVD-TV 11WRAL-TV 5

arizona legislature considers bill to combat hazing

A new bill under consideration by the Arizona House of Representatives would criminalize any potentially harmful activities "for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into . . . or maintaining membership in any organization." Such criminal penalties would attach regardless of whether any injury was actually caused, whether the purported victim actually feels victimized, or whether the brother freely consents to the activity. The injuries contemplated range from the physical to the psychological and in extremis to enunciated instances such as overconsumption of food and drink. In theory, a group of brothers participating in a competetive eating contest for the chapter could be considered "hazed" by the chapter. So broad is the ambit of the law that the ASU Web Devil's reporter feels obligated to clarify that "victims of hazing would not be prosecuted under the law in hazing cases."

The law apparently follows Michigan's attempt to achieve the same goal, and there can be no doubt that providing clear legal guidelines to greeks can only help them stay away from the dangerous behavior and protect collegians. But vaguely worded and broadly drafted laws sweeping vast swathes of innocent tomfoolery under their ambit can only obfuscate what ought to a clear line in the sand: foreseeable injury to unwilling subjects is intolerable. But where there is no injury, or the risk of injury was freely undertaken (as in a pick-up basketball game), or the injury was an unforseeable accident, subjecting fraternities to a higher legal standard reeks of political grandstanding.

The assistant director of greek life at the University of Michigan, where the archetypal law has been in effect five years now, agrees that laws "have been too often a political response to a situation and don’t really address how to [prevent] hazing from a public policy approach." Indeed, the sponsor of the new Arizona bill freely admits that "this bill is aimed at the fraternities. . . . This way, victims and their families can sue organizations [suspected of hazing] in civil cases." Such cavalier attitudes only derogate the true victims of hazing by diluting the term into nonexistence.

ASU Web Devil

wash u σαμ looks forward to life after frathouse

Having a house isn't everything. That's the message that the local Sigma Alpha Mu at Washington University in St Louis is trying to promulgate after being expelled from its premises last semester following a drug bust involving the arrest of several brothers. "Just because they don’t have a house doesn’t mean they can’t be an active and beneficial chapter," said the erstwhile president of the IFC.

Fortunately for fraternal cohesion, the ejected brothers were given housing in close proximity, with most clustered in one university residence hall, with the residue quartered nearby. The placement was intentional by the university, which hopes along with Sammy leadership that the incident last term will not spell the end of the chapter. The chapter hopes to cement its position on campus with a renewed attention to philanthropy and brotherhood as it faces hearings before the Greek Life Standards Board, where there are charges pending for failure to fulfill community standards of arête, the Greek word for excellence. But the new IFC president is firmly behind the organization as well, commiting to "try to ensure that Sammy remains a fraternity on this campus," and "to do everything I can to make sure that Sammy moves in the right direction as a result."

The new focus on charitable work is also felicitous, since Sammy will be on probation preventing them from holding social events for at least this semester. They have already put their money where their mouth is, organizing a volunteer day for fellow residents of their new hall, and committing to raise at least $5000 for an Alzheimer's disease support fund.

Wash U Student Life

baby bust, recession hit home with uva sororities

Much ink and hot air has been expended by the punditocracy bloviating about the "baby bust", the decline beginning as the crest of baby boomers' children begins to subside. College admissions are set to decline, and spots therefore should become less competitive. That the nation is presently sliding ever deeper into recession should be familiar to anyone equipped with rudimentary sensory organs. Now the confluence of these two trends is brought into vivid focus in the petri dish that is sorority recruitment at the University of Virginia.

The iconoclastically-named Inter-Sorority Council (most such umbrella organizations denominate themselves Panhellenic Councils) has announced that the number of women registered for formal recruitment, participating, and receiving bids from sororities is markedly down from last year. Only 540 women were extended bids this year, on 603 last year—and this year's total includes so-called "snap bids" extended by houses whose first-round process did not yield the desired numbers. ISC Vice President for Recruitment Ashleigh Carson noted that "last year it seemed to reach its peak."

In addition to the demographic explanation, ISC President Stuart Berkeley cited the recession, explaining that "sorority expenses can be tough—especially new member fees—and that is why the ISC is hoping to expand our offerings." A study is being planned to further probe the reasons for the decline, though the explanations proffered seem sufficient on their faces. Berkeley speaks hopefully of upcoming scholarship programs, perhaps intentionally aping the federal government's response to the crisis: when in doubt, hand out money to get the market started again.

And no, we don't know whether the head of the Inter-Sorority Council is either (a) a woman named "Stuart", or (b) a man. Speculation is welcomed in the comments.

UVa Cavalier Daily

u arizona tries formal rush process for frats

Fraternity rush is rarely ramified or particularly orderly, but there are those who want to make it so, among them now the Interfraternity Council at the University of Arizona. A new edict taking effect this term institutes a two-day formal rush, in which prospective men are required to attend receptions at several houses around campus, allowing a certain period of time for each. (Presumably monitors with stopwatches in hands will be in attendance to ensure compliance.) The system is intended "to level the playing field for smaller houses," a goal which caught the eye of columnist Nickolas "No, There Is No H In My Name" Seibel of Tau Kappa Epsilon, a recent arriviste to campus and thus poised to benefit from the rule changes.

More established houses seemed somewhat ambivalent about the new system. The rush chair for Phi Delta Theta reported seeing large waves of prospectives on the first night, though groups were down to three or four by the second night, indicating a certain disregard of the rules setting in. Phi Kappa Tau's vice president for recruitment basically agreed that there were more folks coming through, but that "the concept still needs to be worked on." The latter also questioned the value of forcing guys who already know exactly where they want to rush to endure hour-long sales pitches by other houses, and the houses to entertain completely uninterested people.

As for Mr Seibel's own Tekes? He dutifully reports that calls to his own rush chair for comment were unanswered at press time.

Arizona Daily Wildcat

the uw sees violent crime rise against greeks

Groups of fratboys aren't generally known for being easy marks, but the University of Washington is disproving the general wisdom. A rash of violence has been afflicting the off-campus greek houses recently, with attacks including beatings severe enough to hospitalize some brothers, culminating recently in a mugging in which two fraternity brothers were robbed at gunpoint and pistol-whipped this past weekend. The increased sense of threat is changing social habits, says Beta Theta Pi brother Kyle Thomas, who was interviewed for the story: "It's become a thing where unless you're in a larger group at night most people don't feel safe going out. Definitely not on your own. Not anymore."

Thomas feels the police do not maintain a strong enough presence in the neighborhood, and should be doing more to protect residents. Under an agreement with the municipal authorities, the frat row falls under the jurisdiction of The UW campus police, whose police chief Ralph Robinson was quick to say he was "not blaming the victims" before doing just that, chiding greeks for "being out late at night, being by yourself, being in isolated areas, being in areas that are extremely dark where there's no escape route. Those are the types of things where a person could appear as an easy target." Because that means it's okay to mug them. Maybe they shouldn't wear suggestive clothing either.

KIRO-FM 97.3KIRO-TV 7Daily of The UW

tufts underclassmen offer thoughts on rush

Tufts, the elephant-themed school best known for its humorous reference to its students as "Jumbos" and its paper as the "Pachyderm," also operates a bustling little greek system, and its rush is on this week. The Tufts Daily sent out a reporter to look at rush activities and gather some thoughts of the potential recruits. Unlike at many schools, rush for both fraternities and sororities comprises only informal socials: none of the lines to rotate through sorority cocktail hours occurring at other schools. Representatives of both Chi Omega and Sigma Phi Epsilon underscored the laid-back approach to recruitment, the Sig Ep president explaining that "it's a great opportunity for students to see that these alleged 'rowdy frat brothers' are really just the students that sit next to them in class. . . . It's a casual atmosphere."

Tufts students were interested, though some a tad bashful about admitting it. A freshman explained he found fraternities attractive because they embodied "the camaraderie of a sports team without the athletic ability"; he asked to be identified rather mysteriously only as "Benjamin K.," perhaps fearing reprisals from fraternities with the camaraderie of a lynch mob and the athletic ability to back it up.

The article is unfortunately saddled with a rote recital of the standard counterpoints: the belief that "that fraternities create unnecessary divisions among students"; "the seemingly ubiquitous fear of hazing" (which the reporter avers to be "not always unfounded"); and rumors of "secret illicit camaraderie-building activities," perhaps deriving from an recent but conspicuously unspecified violation by sorority Alpha Phi. But under all the boilerplate disclaimer, the article reads as a remarkably unjaded slice of greek life at a small New England liberal arts college.

Tufts Daily

acacia to continue fight to renovate historic house

The long history of a storied property on frat row at the University of Wisconsin at Madison has reached a deadlock. Literally, the Madison Plan Commission tied 4-4 on whether to permit the Acacia frathouse to undertake an extensive renovation and construction project, with the chairwoman refusing to cast the tie-breaking vote and instead kicking the problem upstairs to the City Council. The Acacia master plan that has occasioned such disagreement sees part of their property now used as a parking lot being redeveloped as a small apartment complex in order to fund badly-needed renovations on the frathouse itself. But a zoning variance is necessary to add the extra occupancy to the property, and neighboring property-owners are objecting. ("Neighboring proper-owners" always object.)

The four-story Tudor Revival house on the shores of Lake Mendota was originally built for sorority Phi Mu in 1927, and subsequently sold to Phi Delta Theta and then to Acacia in 1966. When anti-establishment sentiments doomed the local chapter in the late 1970s, the house was rented out to various other greek by the Acacia alumni, waiting for a felicitous opportunity to recolonize. They returned in 1987, and have occupied the house ever since, though it now lies empty in preparation for the anticipated improvement, the brothers having secured lodgings elsewhere. Now it only remains to be seen whether the Madison City Council proves less obstructionist than the Planning Commission.

Madison Capital TimesUW Daily Cardinal

penn publishes survey of greeks in the ivies

Though the Ivy League is often portrayed in the media as some kind of monolithic cabal of ancient elitist institutions, the reality is rather different even in the microcosm of greek life. (Actually, it's a rather diverse cabal of ancient elitist institutions.) A survey from the University of Pennsylvania illustrates the differences: Penn and Cornell are by far the most populated, with 52 and 70 greek organizations respectively, these totals including IFC fraternities, NPC sororities, NPHC greeks, other multicultural greek council (MGC) groups, as well as a smattering of co-ed societies of various sorts. Participation in greek life runs at about 33% at Cornell, and 28% at Penn.

Yet organizational numbers are not everything. Columbia and Dartmouth have similar populations of greeks—32 at Columbia and 30 at Dartmouth—but student affiliation at Columbia is only 10-15%, while Dartmouth enjoys the highest participation of any Ivy with over 60% of students joining by their sophomore year. The huge discrepancy probably reflects that Columbia is far and away the most urbane Ivy, located in Manhattan and thus providing myriad off-campus distractions to its student population, while Dartmouth squats in frigid Hanover, New Hampshire, where social life beyond the greek system is sparse at best.

Harvard, Princeton and Yale are are bastions of the ultra-elitist eating club systems, the legacy of late nineteenth century eradication of fraternities at the instigation of faculties worried about losing sway over the student body. Accordingly, none of them recognizes greek organization, with Harvard adding for good measure that it cannot ratify any organizations that discriminate on the basis of gender. While greeks still openly exist at these institutions, the survey does not advert to any necessarily unofficial numbers.

Brown, finally, always the red-headed child of the Ivy system, neither bans greeks nor seems to have much use for them, counting only ten on its campus and single-digit participation rates from the student body (euphemistically cited in the article as "about 10 percent"). Surely the reason cannot be attributed to the wildly eclectic party scene of Providence, Rhode Island.

Daily Pennsylvanian

baylor καθ maverick in bringing philanthropy to rush

Kappa Alpha Theta at Baylor University in Waco is trying a bold new approach to formal sorority recruitment: put the potentials to work. Sororities are well-known for comprehensive eleemosynary work and community service, but formal recruitment for both sororities and fraternities is often an unbroken series of cocktails, smokers, and even more titillating events. In the frenzy to put the best foot forward, the central role of charitable causes in greeks' mission can easily be lost.

The editors at the Baylor Lariat point to the precedent of Kappa Alpha Theta as a direction for all greeks to turn towards. First invoking a perennial hobby-horse, Animal House, and updating it with the new misexemplar of choice, Old School, the editors opine that greeks' service "is usually overshadowed by other social activities"; the article enumerates "toga parties, alcohol and the dreaded initiation," as well as "endless partying and empty pizza boxes." But for all the tired tropes trotted out as prologue, the Lariat seems genuinely sympathetic to greeks trying to "put a stop to the continually perpetuating stereotypes that plague them." And their highlighting Kappa Alpha Theta's example reiterates a valid proposal.

By placing charitable causes front and center in recruitment, and involving potentials in their good works, greeks can simultaneously augment their philanthropic program and immediately show rushees what the organization really represents. For some chapters, an unmitigated stream of beery debacles or lavish galas probably does accurately reflect the group's culture. No doubt there will be not a few takers for the abovementioned "endless partying." But for chapters with storied reputations of giving back to the community, why hide your light under a bushel?

Baylor Lariat

utm fraternities’ gpas rise as sororities’ decline

The paradigm of sororities as orderly and studious bastions of scholarship contrasted with less-than-academically-inclined fraternities is rarely so simple. The conditions at the University of Tennessee at Martin provide an illustration. Seven of eleven fraternities on campus saw their GPAs rise year over year, and none of the retrograde four lost more than seven hundredths of a point from their average GPA. The bellwether is Omega Psi Phi with almost a thirty percent gain, though some other fraternities did nearly as well. To be fair, Omega Psi Phi's rise still left its GPA below both the all-fraternity and all-independent averages; the absolute champion academically was Sigma Chi, with a 3.10 mean.

By contrast, only two of eight sororities (Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta) saw their GPAs rise, and neither by more than ten percent. But the sororities were already outpacing fraternities in absolute terms, with an all-sorority average of 3.02 trumping the all-fraternity average of 2.72—and also every individual fraternity except Sigma Chi. So the recent shifts only indicate the fraternity system catching up with sororities rather than surging ahead. Happily, both the all-fraternity and all-sorority averages were neatly over those of independents.

UTM Pacer

δχ colony at marshall receives charter

Delta Chi has operated as a colony at Marshall University in West Virginia since 2003, and is finally being rewarded with a charter. It joins its sister chapter at West Virginia University Institute of Technology as the only Delta Chi chapters in the state. Five years is a long time to persist as a colony before achieving official chapter status; former Delta Chi recruitment chair Brandon Irby commented that usually it only takes "a few years for a new colony to develop to get students graduated." Why the Marshall colony was an outlier is not specified, though they were hardly idle while they strove towards their ultimate goal of a charter, participating in numerous charities and initiating over a hundred brothers in their half-decade existence.

Notable is Mr Irby's comment on the diverse brotherhood that the Delta Chi at Marshall encompasses: "We have people from everywhere, the Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, New Jersey. You can get a feel for a ton of different cultures just sitting down and talking to our fraternity." New Jersey culture?

Marshall Parthenon

dartmouth explores link between greek and sport affiliations

That collegiate student-athletes often gravitate towards fraternity life is hardly a revelation. Nor, indeed, is the revelation that certain sports tend to be associated with certain fraternities. Nonetheless, perhaps starved for news, The Dartmouth has run a story detailing the various affiliations on their campus, perhaps hoping to serve as a useful guide for party-hopping independents. As a precis of their rundown, Alpha Delta leads the pack with the lion's share of soccer players, followed by Beta Alpha Omega and Gamma Delta Chi with footballers, Theta Delta Chi, and the strangely named local fraternity Chi Heorot, a former chapter of Chi Phi, with a monopoly on alpine skiers. (Only in New Hampshire could that be considered a major varsity sport.) In the middle of the pack for athletic representation are Chi Gamma Epsilon and Psi Upsilon, while a great number cluster at the presumably couch-potato-oriented shallow end—though The Dartmouth singles out Sigma Phi Epsilon for special ignominy at "the lower end of the athletic spectrum," since their ultimate frisbee players are not counted. Probably the right decision, statistically speaking.

All fraternities, of course, say their admissions process is purely meritorious, and any association with a particular sport is purely the result of self-selection. “More than anything, we look for well-rounded guys,” said the president of Beta Alpha Omega, adding “character guys—guys who we know will get along well with other guys, and guys who are genuine.” For those captivated by the subject of frats and sports at Dartmouth, a second feature in the series is promised soon.

The Dartmouth

κσ’s charter at ou yanked for blog post

The devil is usually in the details—or in this case, in the blog posts. The Kappa Sigma chapter at the University of Oklahoma has long been on probation from an incident several years ago; officials refused to describe the nature of the events that provoked a multi-year probationary period, noted exceedingly vaguely only as an "alcohol-related incident." (Dousing a cut in hydrogen peroxide could be aptly summarized as an "alcohol-related incident" as well.) In any case, the long probation was about to be finally lifted, when the Kappa Sigma national became aware of a blog posting online that "members of the fraternity were pooling their money to buy beer." No mention is made of evidence that any money was actually collected, that any alcohol was actually obtained with the hypothetical money, or that such doubly hypothetical alcohol was actually consumed anywhere near the fraternity house or by fraternity brothers.

No matter actual evidence, for the Kappa Sigma national forged ahead and revoked the chapter's charter for "violat[ing] terms of sanctions previously placed against the Chapter to operate in an alcohol free environment." Unclear is whether these terms actually required chapter members to abstain from writing about alcohol in blog posts (as opposed to drinking it). Perhaps the vaunted terms of sanctions also proscribed Kappa Sigma brothers from thinking about alcohol as well.

The reader will hopefully forgive the profligate use of italics throughout this piece. Blogging being our communication of choice, we feel rather strongly about brothers' unassailable right to express themselves in words without such severe penalty as expulsion from their fraternity. A reprimand for casting the fraternity in a poor light might be in order for a narrative flight of fancy. Expulsion for a wholly unsubstantiated tale of alcohol seems outrageous, and frankly un-American.

The Kappa Sigma brothers are now appealing the dechartering, preparing their case avidly with university officials and alumni—including marshalling actual evidence, something their national evidently neglected to do in their haste to oust. The chapter's former treasurer said rather sensibly, "Obviously we want to take a little bit of responsibility for what’s going on. . . . but basically for something as trivial as this to cause such a big wake, everybody’s a little upset about that."

Oklahoma DailyCurrently OK

uc irvine φκψ exports big brothers as philanthropy

Many fraternities have long-instilled traditions of intrachapter mentoring by assigning pledges to a more experienced brother who serves as a "Big Brother," or simply "Big" in the abbreviated patois of the greek world. The Phi Kappa Psi at University of California, Irvine took that concept a step further by organizing an event in which brothers would serve as big brothers to community youth, spreading the mentoring beyond just the doors of the fraternity house.

The natural partner was of course Big Brothers Big Sisters, among the "oldest, largest and most effective mentoring organizations in the United States," and one proven to dramatically improve the futures of participants and help them avoid the more prominent pitfalls of adolescence. Big Brothers Big Sisters admitted this was the first time they had teamed up with greeks for programming: "We do a lot of these events, like Boomers!, bowling, hiking and Dave & Buster's to name a few, but we usually do them with companies," said a representative of the Orange County unit of the national charity.

Given the long existence of big brother programs within fraternities, the pairing seems a particularly suitable philanthropy. Indeed, Phi Kappa Psi was joined by greeks from many other chapters to reach a total of about 150 men participating in the "Big for a Day" philanthropy. Some even signed up to continue participation as a Big Brother beyond the day-long activities.

UCI New University

κδρ at bucknell closed for housing violations

After a checkered recent past of house upkeep, the Kappa Delta Rho chapter at Bucknell University has been shuttered as of January 1, perhaps permanently. They were previously evicted in December 2007 because of issues with their physical plant, but readmitted this past autumn, presumably with the understanding that house maintenance would be improved. After recently failing a county inspection citing problems with heating, electrical, and fire safety systems, the chapter was formally closed. They will be permitted to recolonize in 2012, according to the university. But if they fail to return, the property will revert to the university under the terms of the purchase in 1950 that specified it be used for fraternity housing.

Actives place some blame on lack of alumni support, and even sabotage, after alumni "wrote an incriminating press release that blamed the brotherhood for the conditions leading to the house closure," according to former KDR chapter president Will O'Brien; a former KDR vice president complained, "We were never given a fair shot." In terms of conduct, the chapter appeared to be on good terms, posting high marks for charitable donations raised and hours spent on philanthropy, as well as making efforts to raise the chapter GPA. As to why the house was so decisively closed, O'Brien speculated: "Some allegations were made towards KDR this semester regarding conduct, but there was never a conclusion or verdict reached on the matter. . . . Another possibility is the condemnation of the house." Yeah, maybe it was the house being condemned.

The Bucknellian

ohio state nphc declares social moratorium after gunfire

The National Pan-Hellenic Council at The Ohio State University has imposed a complete moratorium for all social events on the historically black greeks falling under its purview; this comprises four fraternities and three sororities. The unprecedented moves follow a vaguely-described "violent incident" at a party following an Ohio State-Michigan football game, of which Phi Beta Sigma social chair comments, "police aren't sure whether gunfire came from the altercation or from residents in the Short North." Several members of the NPHC indicated they had been instructed not to comment on the nature of the incident. Not surprisingly, few are voicing opposition to clamping down on social events when firearms are being brought and used, though representatives of some NPHC greeks, including Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma, "expressed their frustration." Thanks to the reader who pointed out that the fraternity is Phi Beta Sigma, not Pi.

Greeks under the umbrella of the Interfraternity Council were surprised that such a draconian measure had been meted out by the NPHC: "If that were to happen in the IFC, fraternities wouldn't stand for it," said Andrew Vitullo, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Then again, Mr Vitullo claimed that "if an altercation arose at his fraternity house, he would deal with it." Presumably his vision of altercations does not comprehend gunfire, a danger ill-suited to the mediation of fraternity presidents, and more suitable to SWAT-team intervention.

Ohio State LanternUS News & World Report

marquette sororities impose facebook ban for rush

Sorority rush at many schools, not least of which Marquette University, is aimed at giving every freshman woman an equal chance to impress by their own efforts. But with social networking sites essentially required among college folks, it's become far too easy for propsectives to get to know sisters without ever looking them in the face. Accordingly, requiring sororities to deactivate network profiles "is becoming common for sororities nationwide" The Panhellenic Council at Marquette wants to avoid sororities being judged by their profiles alone, and has thus imposed a complete Facebook ban. A Gamma Phi Beta sister explains that "there may be (a rumor) that one has more blonds in it. They start looking up Facebook profiles. They won't be able to make their decisions based on how comfortable they are."

The Facebook ban evidently also dovetails with other elements of the prolix process of panhel recruitment. Contact with potential rushees is strictly forbidden outside rush week, and Facebook would make infraction far too easy. Moreover, thirty sisters serve as impartial and anonymous advisors for the rush process, and on Facebook "freshmen could easily look up a recruitment counselor and find out which sorority she belongs to."

Informed of the Facebook bans, the Marquettte Interfraternity Council expressed a certain degree of disbelief at the lengths taken: "Every time I talk to a sorority girl I find out some strange, new facet to their recruitment process, and it always boggles me," said a spokesman.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel