ASU Frat Yanked Over Hazing

Montgomery Advertiser
May 18, 2006

ASU frat yanked over hazing
By Erica Pippins
Montgomery Advertiser

A music fraternity at Alabama State University must shut down for at least seven years because it hazed its pledges.

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia took action against the fraternity's Delta Beta chapter after determining that all 11 members paddled, punched and kicked spring pledges during initiation. Pledges also were required to consume inappropriate substances, purchase gifts and perform demeaning tasks of personal servitude, said Ryan Ripperton, the fraternity's executive director.

This is the second time in less than a year that the Delta Beta chapter at ASU has come under fire for hazing. The group was placed on probation in the fall for "claims that were not as serious," Ripperton said. The suspension was lifted after members vowed to adhere to the fraternity's anti-hazing policy.

ASU suspended three fraternity members until fall 2007, said spokeswoman Janel Bell. She refused to name the fraternity members, citing the university's student confidentiality policy.

"We do not condone -- and take it pretty seriously -- when students participate in illegal activities such as hazing," Bell said.Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, too, strictly prohibits hazing, Ripperton said.

"When we have a chapter that behaves in a way that is morally opposite to the organization's values, it shocks us all," he said.

"But it is also an opportunity for the fraternity to galvanize and solidify its stance against hazing."

Ripperton said a tip prompted Phi Mu Alpha's national headquarters to investigate the Delta Beta chapter, which was established at ASU in 1969. Fraternity officials concluded May 4 that the entire chapter was involved.

The students can't rejoin the 108-year-old fraternity, but the chapter can apply for reactivation in seven years.

"It's unfortunate that 37 years of history has been lost."