Fourth Rape Reported at University of Texas at Arlington

Fourth Rape Reported at University of Texas at Arlington | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth:

Less than a month into the fall semester, University of Texas at Arlington police are investigating four sexual assaults, including three at a fraternity house.

The latest incident was reported to police on Saturday at the Life Science building in the heart of campus.

Police have released few details about the attack, but it is not believed to be related to three sexual assaults reported in late August and early September. Those incidents -- Aug. 23, Aug. 24 and Sept. 7 -- reportedly occurred at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house.

The fraternity's national office said in a statement Tuesday that it has ordered the UTA chapter "to cease and desist operations." The national fraternity said it is assisting in the investigation and that a representative from its office visited with UTA administration Tuesday.

The national office also said it would "bring additional sanctions against any member whose conduct is determined to be inconsistent with the fraternity's values or Texas state law."

UTA issued an interim suspension to a male student in connection with the Sept. 7 report. The university also placed five fraternity chapters on interim suspension while it investigates allegations of alcohol abuse by students younger than 21 and other violations of university policies and procedures.

The university investigations are separate from the police investigations into the sexual assault allegations, UTA spokeswoman Kristin Sullivan said.

Students said they were shocked to hear that a fourth sexual assault had been reported.

"It kind of makes you wonder what happened, if it could have been avoided, what the university can do to prevent those kind of things," senior Helen Moyo said.

Some students said they had not heard about the most recent attack.

"That's really unsettling and kind of terrifying," Moyo said.

Sophomore Hannah Summers said it is making her think about what she does to be safe.

"I guess I'll make sure to be more careful, like where I park and if I park under a light where it's darker," Summers said.

In an email, Sullivan said that UTA is committed to ensuring a healthy, safe and secure environment.

"In addition to the investigations, the university is conducting a broad assessment of its policies, operations and compliance related to Greek organizations," she said.

NBC 5's Mola Lenghi contributed to this report.

'via Blog this'

Steve Hofstetter's Closing Words at SigEp Conclave 2013

After an hilarious hour and a half show at the SigEp Conclave in Dallas Grapevine TX, comedian Steve Hofstetter shared how proud he is to be a SigEp. This is the last 2 1/2 minutes of the show. #SigEpConclave



You can watch the full show again, or for the first time.
Go to http://stevehofstetter.com/conclave.cfm and answer a few "SigEp" questions (this one is 'just for us') .

This clip is family friendly, but the full show is definitely NSFW!

Greeks in the 113th Congress

(Update: fixed  a broken link.)
NIC Blog | North-American Interfraternity Conference - advocating and assisting the fraternity experience

The Fraternity Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) monitors election results each year to keep track of Greek members of Congress.

FGRC is a collaborative effort of the NIC, National Panhellenic Conference, and the Fraternity Sorority Political Action Committee. Learn more at FGRCgreek.org.

At the time of this publication, 37% of the Senate and 23.4% of the House is Greek.

Senate (13 Democrats, 1 Independant, 23 Republicans)
House of Representatives (40 Democrats, 62 Republicans)

Click for a list of Greek members in the 113th Congress.

Trinity College fraternities, sororities ordered to go coed | Inside Higher Ed

Greeks ordered to go coed. Does this effectively end national Greek organizations at Trinity college? Why or why not?
We would love to see your thoughts on this one.

Trinity College fraternities, sororities ordered to go coed | Inside Higher Ed

If women live in a fraternity, is it still a fraternity? Can a sorority house men?

Most people would probably say no. At least, not by today’s standards.

But officials at Trinity College in Connecticut aren’t thinking about today’s standards. They’re thinking about the standards of 2023. That’s why they’re requiring Greek life to go coed.

It’s part of a strategic plan to improve the sense of community and image of the college, where students tend to run in cliques, retention rates have declined slightly, and social culture has grown out of proportion to academic life, said Frederick Alford, dean of students. At the outset of the planning, the president asked officials to ponder what they wanted Trinity to look like in 2023, the year of its bicentennial.

Over the past year, a committee of trustees, administrators, faculty and students have studied Trinity’s culture through interviews and data-gathering. While some of their recommendations will affect all students – for instance, the college will start placing all incoming students into cohorts in one of six residential “houses,” where they will engage in various living/learning activities and be mentored through their second year by a dean and faculty member – the makeover of Greek life is clearly causing the biggest stir.

Greek students on campus are outraged, and alumni and family members have spoken out as well. (A Change.org petition has more than 4,000 signatures.)

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/30/trinity-college-fraternities-sororities-ordered-go-coed#ixzz2DiaJvmHI 

Conversation Fodder - First Graduate, Then Initiate

Fraternal Thoughts: First Graduate, Then Initiate:

'via Blog this'

An intriguing idea. The entire undergraduate experience as a prelude to full initiation. No more "Pledge vs. Active" issues. 4-year GPA considered. Headquarters has a vested interest in every undergrad getting the full benefit of programming. It would give much more meaning to being an alumnus, certainly. 

There are of course some nagging questions. Like how to keep people interested in a program with a 4-year apprenticeship. what would the dropout rate be? You would need to use a different set of metrics to measure effectiveness. 

It's definitely a topic worth some late night discussion, though. Read the full article and let us know what you think.

Future for Fraternities????

Should Parents Ban Fraternities?


By LISA BELKIN

Much of the conversation here over the past few days about gender roles on campus has included mentions of fraternities and sororities. It is not coincidence, many of you said, that all the incidents I described in my Sunday Styles article [see below], about why young women have moved past stereotypes in the classroom but not in relationships, involved Greek life.

As it happens, there has been a lot of talk of fraternities and sororities on campuses themselves over the past week or two, as well.

In mid-August, fraternities at the University of Southern California were reminded by the administration that last year’s ban on pre-rush parties, those taking place before recruitment officially starts, still stands. That ban was put in place in response to incidents like “a misogynistic e-mail sent on the Kappa Sigma fraternity Listserv and photos of a suspended Kappa Sigma appearing to have sex on a U.S.C. rooftop spread virally,” wrote Rachel Bracker, a student reporter, in The Daily Trojan newspaper. There was also the matter of eight students being “taken to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.”

At Princeton last Tuesday, the school’s president, Shirley M. Tilghman, announced that, effective next year, freshmen will no longer be permitted to join a fraternity or sorority, nor will they be allowed to participate in
“rush” activities during freshman year. Explaining the ban, university administrators said in an announcement on the university’s Web site that while the groups have just a small presence on campus (about 15 percent of Princeton undergraduates participate in four sororities and about a dozen fraternities), they have a negative effect:

We have found that they can contribute to a sense of social exclusivity and privilege and socioeconomic stratification among students. In some cases, they place an excessive emphasis on alcohol and engage in activities that encourage excessive and high-risk drinking. A major concern is that they select their members early in freshman year, when students are most vulnerable to pressures from peers to drink, and before they have had a full opportunity to explore a variety of interests and develop a diverse set of friendships. We hope students coming to Princeton will want to expand their circle of acquaintances and experiences, not prematurely narrow them.

That same day, Cornell’s president, David J. Skorton, used an Op-Ed piece in The New York Times to pledge to end fraternity hazing on campus. His announcement came a few months after a 19-year-old sophomore at the school died in a fraternity house “while participating in a hazing episode that included mock kidnapping, ritualized humiliation and coerced drinking.” This convinced him, he wrote:

… that it was time - long past time - to remedy practices of the fraternity system that continue to foster hazing, which has persisted at Cornell, as on college campuses across the country, in violation of state law and university policy. 
Yesterday, I directed student leaders of Cornell’s Greek chapters to develop a system of member recruitment and initiation that does not involve “pledging” - the performance of demeaning or dangerous acts as a condition of membership. While fraternity and sorority chapters will be invited to suggest alternatives
for inducting new members, I will not approve proposals that directly or indirectly encourage hazing and other risky behavior. National fraternities and sororities should end pledging across all campuses; Cornell students can help lead the way.

He goes on to ask “Why not ban fraternities and sororities altogether, as some universities have done?” Good question. He goes on to answer that there is good in the system, in that it “can foster friendship, community service and leadership.”


Since this is a parenting column, I have a related question: What is a parent’s role here? Odds are, parents are paying at least some part of the membership fees for these fraternities and the tuition that enables participation in the first place. If a parent is philosophically opposed to these groups because they subdivide a campus and codify the rights of 20-somethings to pass judgment on each other, should that parent forbid a child to join? What if the concern is more personal and less global? As Dr. Skorton points out, “At Cornell, high-risk drinking and drug use are two to three times more prevalent among fraternity and sorority members than elsewhere in the student population.” I ask as a parent who holds both of these kinds of objections to fraternities, and yet whose son is also a member. Like Dr. Skorton, I reason that there is “good in the system,” particularly the friendships he has forged - but some days I worry that that’s just
rationalization, and not good enough.


Can parents just say no to Greek life? Would you?
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/should-parents-ban-fraternities/

Doing shots at a party - the hard way..

Mark Torres passed this along from Fresno State. Moral: Watch out for party crashers. They could be more trouble than you can handle.

Greetings from sunny and HOT Fresno, CA!

A fraternity at Fresno State (California State University, Fresno) has received some negative publicity regarding an incident that was completely out of their control.  If you could, please post the story on the blog as a cautionary tale to other readers that this could happen to their Chapter and that a University will overlook factors beyond an organization's control (e.g. People "crashing" a party) simply because you are a Greek letter organization.  Here is the link to the article:  

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/06/20/2434897/fresno-state-fraternity-suspended.html

On the lighter side of things, the CA Phi Chapter at Fresno State achieved a 3.07 GPA as a house in Spring 2011, putting them at #1 on campus between Interfraternity Council organizations and Panhellenic Association organizations.

I currently serve as the AVC VP of Relations to the CA Phi Chapter.  I have also CC'd our AVC President, Mike Rizzotti on this email.  

In Phi, 

--

Mark Torres, MPA

Except from the article:

Fresno State suspended the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on Monday after three people were shot and wounded at a fraternity party over the weekend.
...
Two men and one woman were shot at a Pi Kappa Alpha party about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The victims were in their late teens or early 20s, said Lt. Mark Salazar with the Fresno Police Department violent crimes unit.
At least two of the victims are Fresno State students and are enrolled for the fall semester.
...
The shooting occurred after two men "tried to crash the party," Salazar said. Fraternity members refused to allow them in and the two men returned to their car, Salazar said. When the car sped away, the suspects fired four to six shots into the crowd. About 150 people were at the party.

Frat inspired by Robert E. Lee bans Rebel uniforms

So much for "Old South Days"

The Virginia-based Kappa Alpha Order issued new rules to chapters earlier this year saying members aren't allowed to wear Rebel uniforms to parties or during their parades, which are a staple on campuses across the South.

There have been numerous instances in recent years of KA members being confronted and insitutions petitioned to end the practices

In the memo to chapters, Kappa Alpha's national executive director, Larry Wiese, said such displays had to end.

"In today's climate, the Order can ill afford to offend our host institutions and fend off significant negative national press and remain effective at our core mission, which is to aid young men in becoming better community leaders and citizens," Wiese wrote.

The big question: Is this being aware and sensitive to cultural diversity and historical issues, or is it political correctness taken to an absurd degree?

We ain't touchin' it, but can't wait to read the comments.

Frat inspired by Robert E. Lee bans Rebel uniforms - Yahoo! News

Stop desecrating your composites

From our friends at "The Apathy Myth":

[...]The composite was from one of the local fraternities, dated 1993-1994. I got up to take a look at the old clothes and hairstyles. I noticed that the glass had a gigantic crack in it, and the frame was heavily scratched and banged up.

"What's this doing here," I asked?

"Oh, we steal theirs, they steal ours. They're all over the house," replied one woman. "I bet we have one from almost every fraternity on campus."

I noted that the sorority's current composite was enclosed in a very large, locked container lit by lights in their foyer. "Why is it that you take such great care of your current composite, but you could care less about the old ones?"

The woman looked at me strangely. "We need them for recruitment, I guess," was her best answer. "The guys don't care about their old composites, and we have so many of our own, we don't have anywhere to put them anyway."

For many students, they're a joke. Funny names, odd hair. Old. They break them, throw them in closets, steal them from other chapters. I am willing to bet that many find their way to the dumpster every year from damage caused by neglect.

Undergraduates at many campuses should be ashamed of the way they treat old composites.

The Apathy Myth: Stop desecrating your composites

Prairie View suspends fraternity pledging after student dies

Another tragic death. When will people realize that "brotherhood" is not the result of "survivor cameraderie"?

Prairie View A&M University has indefinitely suspended all pledging activities while the school and officials investigate the death of a student who collapsed during an early-morning exercise session and whose father believes might have been abandoned at a hospital by members of the fraternity he was hoping to join.

University President George C. Wright announced the suspension on Thursday, two days after the death of 20-year-old Donnie Wade.

Wade, a sophomore biology major, died either while en route or after being left at North Cypress Medical Center following the exercise session at the Hempstead High School track. Hempstead investigators say the student was a prospective member of Phi Beta Sigma and had gone to the track with about nine other prospective members and one Phi Beta Sigma member.

I have also been following the news of the people who died during a sweatlodge activity last week. They were not "Greek activities," but the elements of hazing were present: adverse conditions, peer pressure, pressure from the leaders, being told that if they did not complete the exercise they had failed - sound familiar?

Prairie View suspends fraternity pledging after student dies | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Tech junior dies in early traffic wreck

From Richard Bard:

All,

It is with a heavy heart that I am informing you of the passing of Todd James "Sunshine" Edwards. Sunshine was my grand-little brother at Texas Iota and passed away early this last Monday morning on May 11, 2009.

From what I've heard from newspapers in Lubbock as well as my little brother Cody, his big brother, is that he was driving back to Lubbock from Midland after his brother's graduation and fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his SUV.

He was a very active and dependable brother and served as our chapters intramural chair. I was president when Sunshine joined our chapter and I know our chapter will sorely miss him.

Please keep his family and our chapter in your prayers.

...And from the "Lubbock Online" News...

"It's tough trying to wrap my mind around it," said Canon Turner, who grew up with Edwards in Midland. They were brothers in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Tech.

Turner said his friend was planning to stay in Lubbock through the summer to continue working as a waiter here.

"If you met Todd, you loved him," Turner said, describing him as fun-loving and genuine.

Fraternity brother Tommy Brunke said Edwards fit his nickname of Sunshine, though it got started because of his bright blond hair.

"Every time I saw him there was a big smile on his face," Brunke said. "He was just always really happy. He really was such a nice guy."

Tech junior dies in early traffic wreck | Avalanche-Journal

Fire destroys ECU SigEp House annex

All eight of the students living in the building near the campus of Eastern Carolina University escaped without serious injury. One student was treated for second degree burns and one of three pet dogs did not survive the blaze.

Authorities now say a total of 14 students escaped a burning fraternity house this morning, some by climbing through windows and dropping from rooftops.

The two-story annex of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity caught fire about 6:20 a.m., according to witnesses and officials on the scene. The house is on Summit Street near Fifth Street across from ECU's main campus.

Nine students reside in the home — called the back house because it sits behind the main fraternity building — and eight of them were present at the time of the fire, said Keith Tingley, assistant director of Greek Life.

More information and pictures here: 14 escape fraternity fire - News | Reflector.com

HQ has released a statement also.

Rivals in politics still brothers in fraternity

Both the candidates for U.S. Senator from Georgia are members of the same college fraternity. Incumbent Saxby Chambliss(R) and his challenger James Martin(D) were members of Sigma Chi at the University of Georgia. Their pledge classes were two years apart, and Chamblis worked to recruit Martin.

Martin alluded to the Sigma Chi connection at a recent Johns Creek political forum where he warmly embraced Julianne Chambliss, who was subbing for her husband at the event.

“Saxby’s circle of friends were a little bit older than mine,” Martin said Thursday. “But we were, and still are, friends. I never take politics personally.”

Chambliss said he and Martin were two years apart at UGA but attended many of the same Sigma Chi functions. The two often ran in different circles, Chambliss said, socializing with classmates of the same age much of the time.
[...]
Macon attorney Jerry Harrell, 63, was in Chambliss’ Sigma Chi class at Georgia. The two were friends —- they once sold fruitcakes together for a summer job. Harrell said Martin got into the frat with Chambliss’ enthusiastic backing.

“Saxby and I pledged him up,” Harrell said. “We were a really close-knit as a fraternity. We studied together, and we played together. It was great fun. We were all very close.”

The current members of the chapter are excited to have two of their own engaged in the race.

Current UGA Sigma Chi chapter president Dixon Revell, 22, of Augusta said the race is a frequent topic of discussion at the Athens frat house these days.

A portrait of Chambliss hangs in the house as part of the “Significant Sig,” display —- six frat brothers who have achieved “outstanding distinction” in their professions.

Revell said his 130 frat brothers have not taken a straw poll on the race. And he does not plan one.

“We have people leaning both ways,” he said. “We’re just very proud that we have two frat brothers running for the U.S. Senate.”

The race in Georgia is not over yet. Because Georgia law requires a 50% +1 majority the two Sigma Chi rivals will meet in a runoff later this year.

Rivals in politics still brothers in fraternity | ajc.com

19-year-old Student killed on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

Paul Fortini, a 19-year-old CAS sophomore from Doxbury, Mass., was killed in Brooklyn late Friday after a night out with friends. He was hit by two cars while he walked along the side of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Williamsburg, according to his parents and published reports. But yesterday, as his friends mourned and remembered his life, they mostly recalled a selfless, dedicated friend, who checked in on them nightly and was there when they were lonely, or in trouble, or just needed to talk.
[...]
Fortinis parents, Kathy and Kew Fortini, flew to New York from Boston after learning that their son was missing. Members of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, spent much of Friday evening and early Saturday morning searching for him before learning he had been killed.
[...]
Fortini joined the fraternity last spring, where he quickly became a model member.

It was guys like Paul that reminded you why you joined the frat, said Josh Terrill, the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter adviser, who graduated in May.

Sigma Phi Epsilon president and Steinhardt senior Eric Lum said Fortini embodied the fraternitys philosophy.

We usually refer to that prototypical, all-around great guy as a stud, he said. Paul was definitely a stud.

But most of all, he was remembered as a man of many friends.

Jewish And Breaking News: 19-year-old Student killed on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Williamsburg Brooklyn remembered by friends

A SigEp starts group protesting Facebook Layout - 1+ million strong!

SigEp member Scott Sanders did not like the new Facebook layout. He did what Facebook themselves encourage - started a group about the topic. Now that group has over 1 million members. That is over 1% of Facebook's entire population.

Scott comes in at about 39 seconds into the video. He's wearing his SigEp shirt.



Millions of facebook members protesting new layout - iReport.com

I don't use Facebook enough to care, but some of you obviously think it is a BFD. Go for it. Scott's group is "http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21195574231".

Florida Fraternity gets 4–year suspension for hazing

Pi Kappa Phi at Florida was accused of physical hazing rituals involving hours of physical activity and consumption of large quantities of alcohol. They did not dispute the charges, and lost their on-campus house, cannot recruit new members, and cannot participate in philanthropies.

UF senior Lyle Long was president of the fraternity when the incidents took place.

Long said though he was never present at any of the rituals, he knew that they potentially could be happening. He said he was working to change that, but some members resisted his efforts.

Long said his biggest mistake as president was viewing the university as an enemy rather than as a tool to stop hazing.

He said he plans to speak about his house’s experience to other fraternities in the fall.

“I’m thankful the university intervened. I’m disappointed we’ve been kicked off, but this could have been potentially worse,” he said.

One of the comments to the article was from a SigEp who is now in med school. (It doesn't look like he is a fan of the action)

GregDgator wrote on Jul 1, 2008 10:20 PM:
" Listen, there's always going to be a battle between fraternity guys and the guys that didn't join. For those of you that didn't join, you have no room to talk. I graduated UF about 4 yrs. ago and now finishing my last semester of med school this fall. I was a brother at Sig Ep and had best friends in Pi Kapp. I can honestly look back and say those were the best memories I have had of college. No regrets; getting hazed was the best. One will never have that kind of experience again. Everyone has a choice to depledge.... if they hated it so much, they should have left like a man and know like a sucker that ratted out their a fraternity they were part of.

Sorry to hear Pi Kapp, and its unfortunate that the greek system has kind of faded within the last few years.

So to you countrygator and gatorader..... shut the fuk up and know your role..... you have idea what you are talking about. "

The Independent Florida Alligator: News - Fraternity gets 4–year suspension for hazing

What to Tell a Mom

Social skills can nurture grade-A students of life
Dr. Timothy Quinn • Special to The Clarion-Ledger • June 10, 2008

Social skills are important. This is what I told a patient's mom when she asked me to persuade her son not to join a fraternity.

She felt it would affect his grades. The mother was surprised when I told her that I am in a fraternity. I explained to the mother that being part of a social organization helps develop a person's social skills, which are very important for the success of that individual. This also helps with future networking opportunities.

I told her my mom made sure I took advantage of any opportunity to be involved in activities. This included church organizations; after-school activities; and other activities, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and intramural sports. I was also given the opportunity to work when I became of age.

I told the patient about some of my experiences as part of a fraternity. I spoke of opportunities during college that allowed me to be part of a collaborative city effort that involved mentoring inner-city children. This allowed me to work with professionals, including physicians who mentored me during the process. I told her the story of my interview process for medical school and how interestingly the interviewer looked over my application and sang the fraternity song when I entered the room. Also, that a fraternity brother let me sleep on his sofa upon entering medical school until I was able to afford my own apartment.

Later on, I allowed a fraternity brother in the same situation to live in my apartment for two months while I was out of town the following year. I found it funny that he wore my suit, which I left in my closet.

I am not saying that grades are not important, but socialization is an important part of one's education in life. I graduated with honors, but I would not trade the social interactions that helped develop my character for any price.

Dr. Timothy Quinn is a Jackson-area family practitioner. Visit his Web site at www.quinnhealthcare.familydoctors.net.

Inside the San Diego Drug Raid

"These Guys Had to Be Taken Down"
Four pounds of cocaine. Fifty pounds of marijuana. Inside the San Diego State University drug raid.
by Jamie Reno and Dirk Johnson

Bathed in the SoCal breeze, a frat-house party at San Diego State University could offer more than a whiff of indulgence. At some of these bashes, young visitors came to hang out, share small talk about college life, dish about professors. Along the way, they might drop a little slang about weed and coke. They were hip. They got cozy enough to collect some cell-phone numbers. Turns out, some of these visitors weren't students. They were undercover drug agents.

Early last Tuesday morning, officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration paid a visit to the Theta Chi fraternity. They came with a search warrant?and a battering ram they used to crash through the door. It was the culmination of a five-month sting that netted 4 pounds of cocaine, 350 Ecstasy pills, 50 pounds of marijuana, 30 vials of hash oil, $60,000 in cash and two guns, one of them taped to a bed frame. It ranked among the biggest college drug busts in U.S. history, with police making 128 arrests, including 95 San Diego State students.

The raid, which included crackdowns on several fraternities, came a year to the day after the overdose death of Jenny Poliakoff, a 19-year-old student at San Diego State. It was the tragedy that triggered the undercover drug operation. The college student had gone to a party and a sorority dance the night before; she died of poisoning from cocaine and alcohol. In February, during the course of the investigation (called Operation Sudden Fall), a student from nearby Mesa College died of a drug-and-alcohol overdose after attending a San Diego State frat party. In still another case, a student at a San Diego State fraternity reportedly lapsed into a drug induced mania and was shot with a Taser gun by friends in an effort to subdue him. He was taken to a hospital and survived the overdose.

The highly organized, widespread drug dealing at a university with a solid academic reputation astonished seasoned prosecutors and narcotics officers, says Damon Mosler, chief of the narcotics division of the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. "There was high-level dealing going on, and that is shown by the fact that students were dying," Mosler tells NEWSWEEK. "These guys had to be taken down." At the Theta Chi house, agents discovered a rough draft of a handwritten business plan for selling drugs. "It talks about what percentage they would mark up the drugs," says Mosler. The authorities say Kenneth Ciaccio is the suspected leader of the Theta Chi cell; Mosler says it was the biggest of several on campus. Investigators claim the student sent a mass text message to "faithful customers" promoting a coming "sale" on cocaine. (Ciaccio pleaded not guilty to drug charges last week. "I do not believe he's the main guy," his lawyer told the Associated Press.)

Operation Sudden Fall reached from the town of La Mesa, east of the university, all the way to the beaches. Undercover work was conducted at fraternity houses, in student housing and in front of dormitories. Some authorities say the behavior of some suspected drug dealers revealed an odd mix of arrogance and naivet?. Ralph Partridge, the special agent in charge of the DEA in San Diego, says that one suspect, a criminal-justice major, inquired after being charged "whether or not his arrest and incarceration would have an effect on him becoming a federal law-enforcement officer." Also arrested on drug charges was Michael Montoya, a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity member, who worked as a community-service officer on campus and would have earned a master's degree in homeland security next month.

Stephen Weber, the president of the 36,000-student university, was kept out of the loop during much of the investigation, says Mosler. "Everyone in law enforcement felt that if the administrators knew about it, they would have put the kibosh on the whole thing," the prosecutor says. Mosler says college officials typically dread the PR nightmare that comes with news about drugs or other crime on campus. Weber tells NEWSWEEK he was made aware last May that "a general investigation regarding drugs on campus" was going on, and that he was told on April 21 that arrests were imminent. "I knew what I needed to know," says Weber.

The raid provoked some protest among students who saw it as overly aggressive. Last Wednesday, a mock graduation was staged, with 75 empty chairs to signify those who were kicked out of school for the charges. (Only 75 students had been reported arrested then.) Randy Hencken, a San Diego State graduate student and president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which calls for a more lenient policy toward drug use on campus, argues that "arresting 100 people is not going to stop drug use, abuse or overdoses." He urges the university to adopt a "Good Samaritan" policy that would allow students in an overdose situation to call for help without fear of repercussions. "When someone dies of overdose, that moment of hesitation caused by fear of being arrested can be enough to lose someone's life," he says. "I'm not defending what some of these kids were doing, but the truth is, it's easier for an underage student to get cocaine at 3 a.m. than it is to buy alcohol at 11 p.m. We're fooling ourselves if we think that arresting a bunch of kids will stop it."

Authorities say much of the information leading to the arrests of the alleged drug dealers came from people arrested for possession of narcotics. "We were happy to have these minnows as bait to find the bigger fish," says Mosler. He says most of those arrested for small amounts of drugs were fined or sent to counseling; the suspected dealers, on the other hand, could face hard time.

The undercover officers in the sting, who looked young enough to be students, dressed and talked in a way that would make them blend into any crowd around campus, authorities say. They started going to fraternity parties, made some connections and then started appearing at other events near campus.

Mosler says the officers were stunned to learn how openly drug dealers were operating. "The undercover officers would call the dealers and say, 'I'm looking to score, can you hook me up?' " the prosecutor says, "and the dealers wouldn't question it; they'd just say yes." Mosler says he believes that the dealers, many of them students, were operating under the false assumption that they would never get caught within the insular world of a college campus.To be certain, American college students scarcely expect that fraternity parties will be infiltrated by undercover drug officers. Just the same, no one expects a 19-year-old college student with a promising future, like Jenny Poliakoff, to go off to a sorority dance one night and wind up losing her life.

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136441

One NIU Victim was Greek - Pi Kappa Alpha

The SigEps at NIU were fortunate that no members were hurt in yesterday's shooting incident. The Pikes, however, lost one of their brothers.

2/15/2008

Tragedy Hits Northern Illinois, Pi Kappa Alpha Families

The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity has confirmed that a member of our Eta Nu Chapter at Northern Illinois University was among those students killed in yesterday’s tragic campus shootings. Brother Dan Parmenter was initiated into Pi Kappa Alpha at Northern Illinois on December 4, 2006.

According to Chapter President Jason Garcia "Dan was always helping other people out, giving you a ride to class, helping with homework, doing community service."* He exemplified all of the qualities of a True Pike.

The International Fraternity has been in communication with Eta Nu chapter and alumni leaders and University officials.

Kevin Knaus, The International Fraternity’s President shared, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan’s family and our brothers at Eta Nu as well as all of the families and friends of those whose loved ones have been lost or injured in this senseless tragedy. We pray for the healing of those wounded and our heart goes out to the greater Northern Illinois and DeKalb community at this time of inexplicable loss.”

As additional information becomes available and is appropriate to be released, the Fraternity will post updates to its web site at http://www.pikes.org.

Those wishing to convey messages of support to our Eta Nu Chapter may continue to do so by sending e-mail to the following address: pka@pikes.org.

Contact:
Justin A. Buck, Executive Director
The Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity
(901) 748-1868 ext. 126
(901) 748-3100 (fax)
jbuck@pikes.org

Pikes.org - Feature Story

Students remember friend, brother

Jesse Mounce, a brother from the chapter at Eastern Illinois University, was found dead on Friday. His passing leaves a missing piece in the lives of his family, friends, and fratenity brothers.

Jesse A. Mounce (left), seen here with his sister Stephanie was a 20-year-old public relations major. (Submitted Photo)

Friends insist that Mounce is irreplaceable. Over the last few days, they've detailed memories to each other that prove this.

Mounce could light up a face with a smile. He was the go-to guy when a smile was needed. He was quick to poke fun at his friends, the life of the party and a persuasive referee when it came to the slip-and-slide at parties.
[...]
Mounce was a sophomore communication studies major studying public relations. He was also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

His friends and fraternity brothers will never forget him.

Stephen Johnson, Mounce's roommate and fellow Sig Ep, will remember the hours he spent with his roommates talking about everything and nothing.

"Jesse's quick wit and nonchalant attitude made for some interesting conversations," he said in an e-mail. "He genuinely cared about his roommates and his friends and would do anything that he could to help us out."

More than 200 people crowded the Wesley United Methodist Church Friday night to share memories, laughs, songs and tears.

His brothers remember him:

Other memories:
"He was one of the most loyal people I have ever met. It didn't matter if you had known him for two days or for two years, if he considered you a friend, he would have your back no matter what the circumstances were."

-Stephen Johnson, member of Sigma Phi Epsilon

"Jesse was a good friend of mine. He was one of the hardest workers that I have ever met. There was never a time when he would not go out of his way to help someone, someone could ask him to do something and without hesitation he would do everything in his power to help that person. Jesse was a true friend and a great brother, he is going to be truly missed. There wasn't a member of our house who didn't love him. Jesse was a very genuine person, with a heart too big to measure. He affected everyone he met in a good way and the house won't be the same with out him around. Love you brother."

-Kyle Valentine, President of Sigma Phi Epsilon

"Today we the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon mourn the passing of a true friend, a man of indescribable honor and integrity. Though we shed tears at the end of his days, it is the remembrance of his life that helps see us through this hardship. We remember every laugh, every joke, every waking moment filled with happiness because of his presence. It is in this time that we remember him for what he really was, our beloved brother. The ties of our brotherhood extend past this world onward, and it is in this belief that we are comforted in the knowledge that we can never truly be apart from him. Today I still see his face, always with a smile, as he says, 'Hey bro.' Today I can still hear his voice and his laughter as we joke around in chapter. Today and forever I will always remember Jesse Mounce for what he was to me: my colleague, my friend, and most importantly my brother. Jesse I love you, and I miss you dearly."

-Levi Bulgar, member of Sigma Phi Epsilon

Jesse was one of my best friends and had a way about him that always made people smile. He left us way too early and everyone who knew him is going to feel the hurt of losing him, but I hope they remember the great times that were shared because of him.

-Lawrence Digiulio, member of Sigma Phi Epsilon

Note: A YouTube video tribute to Jesse has been created by Christopher Thielk of EIU. Click Here to watch it.

Students remember friend, brother - News