Tennessee Sig Eps Help with Tree Project

SGA tree initiative root of beautification plan

Fred Weber - Staff Writer

The University of Tennessee SGA broke ground this week on the planting of 90 new oak trees around the university’s campus in an effort to help beautify the campus.

These Wynstar Willow Oaks will line the middle of Volunteer Avenue, running down the street from the Pilot station all the way to Hodges Library. This species of oak was specifically selected for the orange color its leaves change into during the fall. They are also durable species with roots that will not affect the street. Because the trees were cloned from a single seed, the genetics of each tree are identical, said John Rader, president of SGA.

Rader said planting the trees was part of his initial campaign when he ran for president last year.
“Part of our campaign platform last spring was campus beautification and (we) wanted to do something that would be long lasting and have a tremendous impact on the campus. ... We felt that trees were the best option because they lasted the longest and made the most visible contribution.”

Rader said the location was difficult to decide because of the lack of green space on campus. Volunteer Avenue was ultimately chosen because it serves as the “main thoroughfare for prospective students,” Rader said.

He noted that Tennessee currently ranks 11th on the Princeton Review’s list of unsightly campuses and feels these trees will attempt to combat the campus’s problem of missing green.
SGA Senate Chair Brandon Morrow added that planting the willow oaks will “make a lasting mark on the campus.”

The SGA raised approximately $13,000 for the project, receiving donations from Strong Hall, The Honors Council, IFC, Pan-Hellenic and six fraternities: Sigma Chi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Kappa Alpha. The trees were purchased from a Tennessee alumni grower who now lives in Georgia.

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Leadership at the Top

Through The Eyes of One Fraternity President

A short interview with an east coast fraternity president surfaces both positive and negative emotions – of which many Greek presidents across the country can relate to.

1) What has been your biggest frustration in leading your fraternity?
The most frustrating aspect of leading my fraternity is the overwhelming lack of responsibility, lethargy and lack of interest in seeing the fraternity grow. The student body at one point looked at the Greek community as the group of student leaders in the university’s student body. Now? Well, it’s a little different unfortunately. I am trying to slowly change that in my fraternity.

2) What has been the most fulfilling aspect of leading your fraternity?
The most fulfilling aspect of leading my fraternity has been the sense of organization and people skills I have picked up from it. I have learned to deal with all types of people in all stages of their lives to be able to get tasks done. I think that it has shown me a lot about people in general as well as shown me that although I am an engineer… I am much more designed for management to interact with people.

3) What can the active members do to make your job more fulfilling?
The active members could be more ambitious. Their lack of interest in important things (other than drinking)… is frustrating. It is also frustrating to hear people say that the president position doesn’t do anything either – that it’s just something to put on the resume. Yet it’s the position that gets put onto the line if something goes wrong in the house and police get involved. And it is the position that in essence makes sure the chapter operates well - gets things done, etc.

Thought for the Weekend - January 19-20, 2008

Integrity has no need of rules.

Albert Camus (1913 - 1960)

French existentialist author & philosopher

Thought for the Day - Friday, January 18, 2008

Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone - but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding.
Bette Davis

US movie actress (1908 - 1989)

Police Beat - Extra! More Frat Boy stuff!

From the University of Arizona.

An officer reported to a drug paraphernalia call at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, 1420 N. Vine Ave., at 9:02 a.m. Friday.

The house director found a large bong while changing locks to the rooms.

The bong, standing four feet tall in the left rear corner of the room, had a strong odor of marijuana coming from it and had several pieces of residue in the bong water.

It was photographed and placed into evidence.

No charges were filed.

Refresh my memory... when exactly did Cheech and Chong join the fraternity???

Police Beat - Extra!

Thought for the Day - Thursday, January 17, 2008

The easiest thing in the world to be is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.
Leo Buscaglia

US author & lecturer (1925 - 1998)

Tri-Sigma at MSU Closed for Hazing

MSU sorority closed over drinking, hazing

University, ousted women differ on gravity of allegations.
By Steve Koehler
Springfield News-LeaderJanuary 16, 2008

A Missouri State University sorority was disbanded for playing drinking games, leaving blindfolded women in a cemetery, and forcing a woman to get an application from a strip club.

The national council for Sigma Sigma Sigma yanked its charter, shuttering the local chapter for four years and leaving about 50 members to find a new place to live. It is reportedly the first MSU sorority forced to close.

Complaints about the chapter surfaced in mid-November after someone reported seeing a woman wearing the sorority's name being led blindfolded into a house. The investigation that followed focused on allegations of hazing, drinking and student conduct violations.

The sorority, which had been on campus since 1945, had about 140 members including the 54 who lived in three-story brick house on East Elm Street. The decision to revoke the charter means that new members will lose the $800 each paid in fees and can't pledge with another sorority.

Jamie Francis, a sophomore member of the sorority, said MSU and the chapter's national governing board "ruined us" over minor incidents.

"We didn't think at all that we'd be kicked off for anything so petty," said Francis, of St. Charles. "We didn't feel what we had done was that big a deal. What happened (to us) we didn't deserve."

University officials disagree.
Dixie Williams, assistant director of student activities for fraternity and sorority life at MSU, said the incidents were severe.

"I don't believe at all that these are minor things," she said. "Blindfolding women and leaving them in a cemetery is hazing."

Other allegations ranged from taking blindfolded women to a cave and to the basement of a house where they were interrogated. Pledges who refused the hazing were verbally abused, Williams said.

"The possibility of injury both mentally and physically is present," she said.

Kelsy Bartlett, a sophomore member of the sorority, pointed out that about 50 of the 60 prospective members involved in the incidents stayed with the sorority after the initiations. That fact, she said, shows that what took place wasn't that bad.

"It wasn't like they had to jump off a cliff," she said. "It was all in good fun."

Bartlett said the group's national governing board and MSU acted too harshly over "little things."

"What we did they considered hazing but we didn't. It wasn't considered that. We didn't believe it was hazing," Bartlett said. "No one complained."

Drinking
In one incident, the sorority reportedly held an unregistered event - or "walk-off" - with over 40 members traveling to a rural site. At that event, alcohol was consumed and drinking games were played, which is against conduct rules.

Bartlett said drinking by members - which she said included some minors - was done off-campus at an informal party.

"A bunch of us were hanging out," Bartlett said. "It was not in the house. In our eyes, we tried to keep everything as clean as possible. We don't drink in the house or do anything in the house. All Greeks drink when underage. We never did it irresponsibly."

Francis said that underage drinking is common.

"Anyone knows college and high school kids drink," she said. "The (Greek) rules don't go with the times there are now. They're outdated."

Mike Jungers, associate dean of students, said rules regulating fraternity and sorority activities apply whether events are inside the house or off campus. He said alcohol is banned from new-member events.

A check of Springfield police records shows seven criminal reports from the house since October 2006, including three for liquor violations.

Investigation
The initial report of a blindfolded woman wearing the Sigma Sigma Sigma clothing being led into a house triggered the two-month investigation.

University officials contacted the sorority leaders about the report and were told that the members involved had been disciplined.

However, Jungers said, the university quickly learned of other incidents involving the sorority. "Information started tumbling into the university and what we were hearing was serious," he said.

MSU officials contacted the national headquarters of the sorority with their concerns. The national group, based in Virginia, owns the building on MSU's campus and sent officials to investigate.

Last week, the national office revoked the charter for the local sorority. The chapter appealed the decision to revoke the charter but was unsuccessful.

"The decision to close the chapter for failure to comply with national policies was made by the executive council of Sigma Sigma Sigma," according to a news release. "The closing of the chapter is not an easy decision. We value the contributions ... members have made over the years and when conditions are appropriate for our return, Sigma Sigma Sigma will actively seek the opportunity to become a productive and viable chapter at Missouri State University."

National leaders would not comment to the News-Leader about the incident.

Bill Hansen, whose daughter Dana Hansen was in the sorority, said he talked to MSU officials and national board members during their campus visit last week.

He expressed concern about how students were questioned.

"It seemed like they decided the girls were bad and evil and wanted to get them," said Hansen of Overland Park, Kan. "I said, 'Look, here's the deal. Even an accused murderer gets representation. Give them their day in court.' "

Hansen said the rules regulating sororities may be too intrusive. He pointed out that members are in trouble for having a party at a beach house with both members and non-members.

"Where do you draw the line and stop regulating the girls' lives away from the sorority?" he asked.

Suspension
Shortly after the investigation got underway, MSU informed the sorority that it was suspended as a student organization. That meant it could not engage in any social or recreational activities or recruit any new members.

At MSU, fraternity and sorority life is governed by a board made up of representatives from various Greek-letter organizations.

The decisions issued by the board are generally accepted by the university. The board could have yanked the sorority's charter if the national council had not taken action.

Jungers said in this case, the investigation began as the semester was ending and the board was in transition. The sorority issue was expected to come up this spring before a new board.

A week ago, the national Sigma Sigma Sigma office informed members that the house was closing and they would have to find new living quarters.

That was about the same time that MSU sent a letter to members' parents, warning them that the sorority was under investigation and could be closed down.

Bartlett said MSU didn't have the right to contact parents without the students' permission because of federal student privacy laws. "Parents had nothing to do with this. They shouldn't have gotten a letter," she said.

But Jungers said the letter was informing parents about the status of the organization, not their student, so it was allowed.

"We felt it important to notify parents of the allegations. If the sorority was suspended or the charter taken, there could be housing issues," he said. "We wanted to involve parents with accurate information."

Bartlett has moved into an apartment across the street. She started looking in December when it looked like the sorority might shut down.

"I'm really disappointed and feel bad for the new girls," Bartlett said.

As for herself, Bartlett said she's glad she had a chance to experience a sorority.

"I still think Greek life is a good thing. I made good friends. I met my best friend. We're still all going to stay in touch. I think what happened still hasn't set in yet."

© 2008 Springfield News-Leader

Thought for the Day - Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.
Robert Orben

UNC Police Log

Frat Boys, Frat Boys, wha'cha gonna do?

*Police cited two students Saturday for consuming an alcoholic beverage underage outside the entrance of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, according to Chapel Hill police reports.

Officers administered preliminary breath tests. At least one of the individuals cited was reported as uncooperative, according to reports.

These guys must have wandered over from one of the other houses. Suuurrre...

Police log - City

'He was a brave soldier'

Another SigEp is a casualty of the war in Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan K. Dozier seemed destined for soldier's boots.

"He's been playing soldier since he was a tiny boy," Dozier's mother, Martha Day Cabe said in a phone interview Monday. At age 5 and 6, he, his sister and their friends would go into the woods wearing camouflage and "play Army."

Dozier, a former Middle Tennessee State University student, was among six soldiers who died Jan. 9 in Sinsil, Iraq.
He died from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations, according to a Department of Defense press release.
[...]
Jonathan Dozier attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and studied international affairs. He was also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
[...]
Carl Dozier said he wants to make sure that his son is remembered as more than a casualty of war.

"He had a vibrant life," he said.

I hate having to do these posts. If your chapter has lost a brother you know it leaves a hole in the brotherhood that cannot be filled.

Jackson Sun - www.jacksonsun.com - Jackson, TN

Thought for the Day - Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue.
John Herschel

English astronomer (1792 - 1871)

Vandebuilt IFC chapters welcome 265 new members

IFC chapters welcome 265 new members
Submitted by Jarred Amato on 01-14-08, 6:55 pm

Two hundred sixty-five men received bids to 16 Interfraternity Council fraternities Friday night, approximately 67 percent of the men that registered, according to Director of Greek Life Kristin Torrey.

The retention rate was a small increase from last year, Torrey added.

Lambda Chi Alpha welcomed 26 new members, the most of any fraternity. It was increase of 10 men from a year ago.

“Our rush chair did a great job and a lot more of the house got behind rush,” said Kristian Stensland, president of Lambda Chi Alpha. “I’m very excited about the new guys we’re bringing in.”

Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi and Zeta Beta Tau brought in 23 new members, while Sigma Phi Epsilon welcomed 22.

IFC chapters welcome 265 new members | InsideVandy

Northwestern DU's Use Midgets for Recruitment Event

Rush event under investigation
DU books 'hardcore midget wrestling' group
By Abe Rakov

Northwestern's chapter of Delta Upsilon fraternity may face disciplinary action from the university after hiring an entertainment group, which bills itself as the "one and only hardcore midget wrestling company," to perform at a recruitment event last week.

At a DU event held Jan. 8, the Half Pint Brawlers performed a show, during which they simulated sex, jumped off a ladder onto one another and stapled each other in the face, among other acts depicted in photographs and videos e-mailed to The Daily.

In the videos, attendees cheered and chanted, urging the performers to "Hit him with a chair!" and "Do it again!"

According to the Half Pint Brawler's Web site, the matches involve "staple guns, thumb tacks, broken bottles (and) trash cans," and "the midgets bleed what little blood they have for your enjoyment."

Mary Desler, NU's associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said she was unaware the event took place until Sunday morning. "We ask that groups inform us of what activities they are going to sponsor during fraternity recruitment," Desler said. "And we do have conversations with groups who are scheduling activities that we think could be, without more information, possibly in violation of university rules and regulations."

In this case, DU could have violated NU's hazing policy, which includes, "any action taken or situation created, whether on or off university premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule for the purpose of affiliation with a group, team, club, or their organization," according to NU's student handbook.

Multiple sources said DU only recently was removed from probation.

One of the performers from Half Pint Brawlers, "Puppet the Psycho Dwarf," wrote in an e-mail to The Daily that the show was booked about one month ago. "Little Justice (another performer) and myself had a great time at the event," he wrote. "The kids really seemed to enjoy the show."

He said the group performs at private parties on days off from other events. The Half Pint Brawlers next perform at the Midtown Music Hall in Bend, Ore., on Jan. 24, according to their Web site. They return to Chicago on Feb. 7 for a performance at Bar Chicago.

Everyone at the DU event "looked like they were having fun," wrote David Cao, a Weinberg freshman and one of DU's 24 pledges, in an e-mail to The Daily. He added that he heard the fraternity was going to have "K-Y Jelly midget fighting" that night, and that he was a little surprised in what he saw "considering the tame nature of the other frats' events."

"They were paid professionals and were doing a well-practiced act," Cao wrote. "There were some extreme moments, but that was part of their job."

One of the videos sent to The Daily shows a performer climbing a ladder and waiting at the top while attendees chanted, "Jump. Jump. Jump." He eventually jumped onto his fellow performer, who fell to the ground before the first performer stapled a dollar bill to his face. Soon after, the performer got a member of the audience to remove the bill.

In another video, a performer put a bucket over his counterpart's head before kicking him. Another video shows one of the performers scattering tacks on the ground and then throwing the other onto them.

Messages left for DU President Tommy Smithburg, other DU pledges and the fraternity's national headquarters were not returned Sunday. Weinberg senior and Interfraternity Council President Billy Carberry declined to comment.

Two fraternities were removed from campus in the past four years after violating probation. Kappa Sigma was suspended from the university in June 2003 after an incident during a formal held at Shedd Aquarium.

NU accused the fraternity, which was already on probation, of vandalism, alcohol use and other improprieties, The Daily reported at the time.

Delta Tau Delta was also removed from campus after violating its probation. The fraternity was kicked off in June 2007 because of disciplinary problems, but administrators would not explain the circumstances to The Daily.

Student Affairs usually takes one to two weeks to investigate possible violations of university policy. If Student Affairs feels a policy was violated, the case would then be referred to the University Hearing and Appeals System, NU's formal judicial process, where the fraternity's fate would be decided.

Thought for the Day - Monday, January 14, 2008

The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use - of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.
Robert F. Kennedy, 'I Remember, I Believe,' The Pursuit of Justice, 1964

US Democratic politician (1925 - 1968)