UT Arlington SigEp Chapter Gets Reduced Suspension

UT Arlington fraternity now faces one year suspension | Arlington | News from Fort Worth...:

BY DIANE SMITH dianesmith@star-telegram.com

DIANE SMITH STAR-TELEGRAM

The Sigma Phi Epsilon house at UTA will be vacant from 

Dec. 31 through Aug. 31, 2014, according to its suspension.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/27/5374564/ut-arlington-fraternity-now-faces.html#storylink=cpy

ARLINGTON — The suspension for the University of Texas at Arlington chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon has been reduced to one year in connection with providing alcohol to minors as young as 14.

The fraternity originally faced a three-year suspension, but that punishment was changed after an appeal.

A Nov. 19 final outcome letter to the fraternity states: “… the chapter is lucky more serious outcomes did not result from these events.”

The letter, signed by UTA assistant professor Paul Krawietz, adds, “I feel the supporting evidence does not warrant suspension for three years.”

Krawietz, the appointed hearing officer, could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Christofer Slocum, president of the fraternity, could not be reached for comment.

Sigma Phi Epsilon is accused of selling mixed drinks to underage people at a “Glow Party” that was part of the fraternity’s Aug. 23-Sept. 7 Bid Day activities. Bid Day, when students are accepted into fraternities and sororities, was Sept. 7.

The fraternity is accused of allowing seven to 10 teens ages 14 to 18 into a party at the frat house, where they consumed alcohol with the fraternity’s members. Fraternity members are also accused of drinking alcohol in the morning in common areas before and after new member orientation.

Under the current disciplinary sanctions, Sigma Phi Epsilon will be on suspension through Aug. 31, 2014 and all members living at the fraternity house must be out before Dec. 31. No one will be allowed to live in the house, at 705 S. Davis Dr., until Sept. 1, 2014, according to the outcome letter.

Additional disciplinary actions include:

• No social activities from Sept. 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015.

• Members must attend training, which focuses on college life responsibilities with regard to alcohol, drugs and sexual violence.

• Members must attend City of Arlington minor in possession course by Jan. 31.

• The chapter must host two community alcohol awareness events.

• Ten hours of community service per member must be completed by Jan. 31.

After an investigation, UTA also put three other fraternities — Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Chi and Pi Kappa Alpha — on probation until May 31 for underage drinking and unregistered parties surrounding Bid Day activities. A fifth fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, was put on interim suspension because of allegations of hazing and early acceptance of a pledge.

Sigma Chi initially appealed its suspension but has since withdrawn its appeal, said Kristin Sullivan, spokeswoman for UTA.

UT Arlington police are still investigating two criminal cases involving allegations of sexual assault, on Aug. 23 and Sept. 7, at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, but those investigations are separate from the student conduct investigations.

Police have stated in both cases that the suspect was known to the victim. No further information has been released.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/27/5374564/ut-arlington-fraternity-now-faces.html#storylink=cpy

SigEp Fraternity receives 3-year suspension as UTA ends investigations

SigEp at UT Arlington has received a 3-year suspension. Anything I add would be snarky so I'll just hope an appeal is successful.

Fraternity receives 3-year suspension as UTA ends investigations - The Shorthorn : Campus:

One fraternity is suspended from UTA for three years, three others are on probation until the end of May and another is no longer on interim suspension following investigations into reports of misconduct, according to a UTA spokeswoman.

The fraternities – Sigma Phi Epsilon, Pi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Chi and Alpha Tau Omega – were placed on interim suspensions in September related to activities on fraternity Bid Day on Sept. 7, according to university officials.

The five fraternities were notified the investigations were concluded, university spokeswoman Kristin Sullivan said in an email Oct. 25.

Following the investigations, Sigma Phi Epsilon has been suspended from the university for three years and may not participate in chapter activities, Sullivan said in the email.

“The organization may petition in January 2017 to establish an active chapter at UT Arlington as of June 1, 2017,” the email stated.

Three other fraternities, Alpha Tau Omega, Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi, are on probation through May 31, 2014.

During probation, the fraternities are prohibited from hosting social events or participating in fraternity events where alcohol is present.

The fraternities can appeal and request a formal hearing, Sullivan said in the email.

Pi Kappa Phi is no longer on interim suspension, according to the email. However, the university found that the chapter offered early bids and referred it to the Interfraternity Council, according to the email.

The investigations began sometime after Bid Day in September, Sullivan previously said.
Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Phi were first issued interim suspensions “related to unregistered parties and possible use of alcohol by individuals under the age of 21,” according to the university.

Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Chi and Alpha Tau Omega were investigated in connection with underage alcohol use.

Additionally, Alpha Tau Omega was investigated in connection with “possible use of illegal drugs,” according to a previous university statement.

Sigma Phi Epsilon president Christofer Slocum did not immediately return calls from The Shorthorn. In a text message, he said the fraternity plans to challenge the sanctions "by proceeding to a trial."

In a previous article, Slocum denied the fraternity hosted an unregistered party Sept . 7. Instead, he said some fraternity members attended a party at the home of an alumnus who was celebrating a new job.

“I have no control over what a graduate of UTA does at his residence,” Slocum said at the time.

Sigma Chi president Aaron Hobbs said his fraternity thinks the sanctions are heavier than what it expected and will likely appeal.

The Shorthorn is attempting to reach Alpha Tau Omega, Pi Kappa Alpha and Pi Kappa Phi presidents for comment.

@KristaMTorralva
krista.torralva@mavs.uta.edu

'via Blog this'

Penn student dies weeks after apparent fall on campus

"While he was no longer affiliated with the chapter, he remained close with many of the undergraduate members. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends." -- Brian Warren Jr.

Penn student dies weeks after apparent fall on campus

With perfect SAT scores and on full scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas J. Hartford had a bright future and the brightest of outlooks.

"He lived life to the fullest," his father said.

But that life came to a tragic end on Wednesday after Hartford, 22, a senior from Stroudsburg, suffered a massive stroke following an apparent fall on campus nearly two weeks ago.

Hartford's body was found in a pool of blood on a concrete surface outside the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 10, said his father, Thomas W. Hartford. He had been in intensive care at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

His son, he said, had attended a gathering for potential new members at the fraternity house on the evening of Jan. 9. After the event ended, he remained at the house, socializing with a small group of friends, the father said. His son was last seen at 12:45 a.m.

Hartford suffered multiple skull and facial fractures, severe brain trauma, a broken wrist and optical nerve damage, he said.

The doctor told him the injuries were consistent with a fall from about 15 to 20 feet, he said. University of Pennsylvania detectives who investigated told him they believe Hartford either fell from the window or had been locked out and was climbing up to get in the window.

Fraternity Brings Nashville Band to Lincoln for Diabetes Concert

The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity starts off the first weekend of school with a concert to raise donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

According to philanthropy co-chair Mitchell Ferris, the idea to do this concert came about last spring.

Ferris, who is from Omaha, said he went to school with one of the band members who also has diabetes. The Lonely Biscuts who call Nashville their home town, were flown to Lincoln just for the Friday night concert.

The Lonely Biscuts won The Battle of the Bands- Eastern Conference and have become well known in the Omaha area.

Ferris said, "We are here to have fun and get good grades but we are also here to give back and that is part of it. That's why I ran for philanthropy chair."

260 tickets at $10 each, were sold before the concert even started. Total attendance is expected to have reached close to 500 people once all the sales are tallied.

The concert began at 9:15 p.m. and lasted until around 11:30.

Ferris said this is the last event he is coordinating since someone else will sit in his chair on the committee beginning next month.

The fundraiser is being considered a success.

Woman Says Frat Party Entices Predators

Yup, this time it is one of our own - Texas Alpha - on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

Woman Says Frat Party Entices Predators

By IULIA FILIP 

     (CN) - A college freshman claims in court that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted after being served a "trash can punch" laced with Everclear alcohol at a frat house party at the University of Texas at Austin.

     M.J. sued the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, its Texas Alpha Chapter and The University Of Texas Sig Ep Foundation, in Travis County Court. UTexas-Austin is not a party to the complaint.

     M.J. claims that the fraternity routinely gets young women drunk on "extremely alcoholic beverages" and fails to protect them from sexual predators.

     She says that in July 2010, while she was on campus for freshman orientation, she was invited to a "social event" at Sigma Phi Epsilon's fraternity house.

     She says she was served "extremely alcoholic beverages" at the party, and became "highly intoxicated."

     "At some point after midnight, (MJ) perceived her state of consciousness to be rapidly declining - she was going to sleep," the complaint states. "She started searching for her cell phone and purse with the intent of returning to her dormitory room, but never found her articles. During her search inside and on the grounds of the fraternity house, she at some point sat down and fell asleep - a deep sleep from which she could not easily be aroused. At no time prior to her sleep state did she consent to leaving the fraternity house and grounds with anyone, nor did she consent to sexual contact with anyone. During her sleep state she was not competent to grant any consent to anyone - factually or legally. She did not awaken from her sleep state until the next morning, when she found herself in the custody of a sexual predator in Williamson County. She had been sexually assaulted. She had been kidnapped."

The Red Cup Speaks

Saw this on the CAMPUSPEAK Facebook page.

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.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Party in 1971

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

T.S. Hanna - priorities, priorities

Students at Duke took the threat of TS Hanna as an opportunity for 'social interaction.' They apparently don't have the same respect for Mother Nature as our brothers at Tulane, Loyola, and Lamar.

"But in Durham, T.S. Hanna did not seem to deter students from going out over the weekend. Students left the safety of their dorms en masse for parties thrown by fraternities Delta Kappa Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon along with selective living group Maxwell House held on West Campus Friday night.

'I think the brunt of the storm arrived late enough that it did not affect attendance,' said Maxwell House President Owen Gehrett, a senior. '[It was fortunate because] people on the fence could come [to our party].'

But as the storm picked up, residence coordinators called the gatherings to a close to ensure that party-goers from Central and East Campuses returned to their dormitories safely.

By Saturday afternoon, the sky was clear and typical game-day festivities resumed on campus. Kickoff for the football game against Northwestern University went on as scheduled, as did Tailgate."

Hey, as long as you can make it to the tailgate party, how bad could it be?

Hanna's local effect less than anticipated - News:

What's the connection?

Three articles. How are they related and how does it affect SigEp? Comments encouraged.

First story: Dead Drunk
Drinking games prove deadly to college kids - Addictions- msnbc.com

On the morning after the house party on Johnson Street, Jenna Foellmi and several other twentysomethings lay sprawled on the beds and couches. When a friend reached out to wake her, Foellmi was cold to the touch.

The friend's screams woke up the others still asleep in the house.
[...]
Exactly how much Jenna drank that night isn't clear. The coroner did not release her blood-alcohol level, saying only that it was "not compatible with life."

This is your brain after a "21-for-21" session: ---------. Any questions?

Second Story: Review This!
PRINCETON REVIEW, TOP PARTY SCHOOLS: Princeton Review ranks top party schools of 2008 -- chicagotribune.com

Freshman Allison Belanger, a journalism and political science major, said she's only been on campus for a few weeks but already has had no problem finding a party.

"All I have to do is leave the dorm," said Belanger, 17. "A lot of people study hard and party hard."
[...]
"The fact that we have three national championships in two years is probably a major contributing factor," spokesman Steve Orlando said. "We know our students like to have a good time."
[...]
Florida also came in first this year in the categories of students who study the least and students who pack the stadiums.

At least the Administration is on board with Florida's reputation. As a Tennessee grad I'm chagrined to be bested by the Gators in anything, especially since we were "only" 18th. (Practically a Sunday school class, in comparison.) Here is the list. Is your school there? Are there any schools on the list that don't have a SigEp chapter? Coincidence?

Story Three: Beer Pong - the Wii experience
Finally: Beer Pong Comes to the Wii - AppScout

Available for WiiWare, the game is the first installment of the company's new Frat Party series. Pong Toss is pretty much like it sounds. Users toss ping-pong balls into keg cups. It's a bit like that recently released competitive-eating WiiWare, only instead of projectile vomiting, users can unlock such hidden features as virtual cirrhosis and walks of shame.
[...]
Look for the hazing game early next year.

Well, at least you won't have the health department condemn the basement when the party is over.

Bloomsday coming up - SigEp reference?

We received this 'tidbit' today in the morning mail. Thanks to Will Terrell by way of Wade Hutchens for the info.

For those of you not lucky enough to know about TN Alpha, they have called their "party area" (never a bar!) by the name "Ye Olde Shebeen" since since at least the 1950s. The tradition endures but many don't know the origin of the name.

On June 16, James Joyce aficionados the world over celebrate Bloomsday.

The day is named after advertising salesman Leopold Bloom, protagonist of Joyce's novel Ulysses. The entirety of this book recounts an ordinary day, June 16, 1904, as various characters go about their ways in Dublin, Ireland.

If those 700+ pages are too much, here's an illustrated and irreverent summary of the book:

To mark Bloomsday this week we'll examine five words borrowed from the Irish language.

shebeen (shuh-BEEN) noun:
   An unlicensed drinking establishment.
   [From Irish sibin, diminutive of seibe (mug/mugful). The word is popular in the south of Africa and in Scotland and Ireland.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=shebeen

-Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)

"The controversial drinking den has been raided four times since it opened two months ago. But shebeen operator Francis Kelly, 33, says it's a 'private club' for his pals -- and insists he doesn't sell any booze."
Owen Conlon; Shebeen and Gone; The Sun (UK); May 9, 2008.

A "teddy bare" party, perhaps?

University of Arizona's finest are on the job. A lady in distress trumps a fight, apparently. But where are the pictures?

The Tucson Police Department contacted the University of Arizona Police Department after noticing four intoxicated students in Highland Avenue Parking Garage, 1240 N. Highland Ave., Saturday.

A TPD officer had been on his way to a reported fight when he saw a parked vehicle on the east side of the garage. He saw a female student behind the trunk of the car dressed only in a pink teddy and black high heels.

A second female student was unconscious and two male students were attempting to place her in the vehicle.
[...]
The unconscious student's friends said she was intoxicated and had been walking with them to a party on campus from Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, 1420 N. Vine Ave., when she fell.

She hit her face on the ground, chipping her front tooth and getting scrapes and bruises.
[...]
The scantily clad female student said she did not have any alcohol to drink, but she had bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol on her breath.

All three were cited for being underage with spirituous liquor in the body.

Her mother would be so proud. ("Spiritous"???)

Police Beat - Extra!

Owls fans see plenty of orange

If your team is getting whipped, at least it is good to be among your brothers.

Half of the Florida Atlantic chapter went to watch the teamm play Florida in Gainesville.

"We play better when we play a better team, so I don't think it will be as better," said Paul Jaeger, a junior at FAU from Sunrise.

Jaeger made the trip with more than 30 members of FAU's Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter.

"That's half our chapter, which is pretty good," he said. "The noon kickoff made it hard to tailgate, but after the game it will be better." For fans used to watching their team in front of small crowds at Lockhart Stadium, experiencing the 90,000-plus-seat Swamp was a treat in itself.

Owls fans see plenty of orange

SMU - Alcohol violations stacking up at historic rates

Welcome to a new fall semester. A time of Football, turning leaves, and drunk students. Seems like everybody is doing it. Almost.

Six SMU students were rushed to the hospital for drug and alcohol-related overdoses one week into the fall term. That number, which was provided by a university student affairs official, is the highest in SMU history and accounts for more than half of the eleven hospitalizations to date.

Paralleling the rise in hospitalizations, the number of student citations in relation to previous years have drastically increased. Since classes began on Aug. 23, drug and alcohol-related citations have been issued by SMU police nearly four times as many as the 68 that were written in the same time period last year.

Citations at Greek houses, which have occurred in the past, are part of this rise. Twenty incidents have resulted in 88 individual citations according to SMU police records. At this point in 2006, only 33 individual citations had been issued at Greek houses.

The highest single incident so far this year involved 14 students being cited for underage drinking on Aug. 30 at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house.

Sigma Chi has the highest total number of individual citations with 26 from four different incidents. SAE and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) each have 21 individual citations. Pi Kappa Alpha has nine individual citations from six different incidents, Kappa Sigma has six individual citations from one incident and Kappa Alpha has five individual citations from two incidents.

Phi Delta Theta, Lambda Chi Alpha and Sigma Phi Epsilon have no citations or incidents that originated from their houses.

Good for us. Either they are really toeing the line, or they are too clever to get caught.

Alcohol violations stacking up at historic rates - News

"All Shook Up" in Collierville

Barbeque and Elvis. What else are you going to do in Collierville on Saturday night?

Marina and Clay Brinkley visited Graceland Saturday. Marina had never been there.

After their visit, Clay joked, "All we need to do now is go see a live show of Elvis impersonators."

They were surprised that night when they attended the 15th annual Partners in Preservation Party and Taste of the Town in Collierville. They ran into several guys dressed up like the King. "All Shook Up on the Square" was the theme of the outdoor event, which featured food from 26 restaurants and live music.

An "Elvis Impersonation Contest" was part of the program.
[...]
Representing Huey's in Collierville, Jimmy Madeksho, Max Johnson and Jake Dunn, members of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at the University of Memphis, won the first-place trophy for their Elvis dance rendition to a Soulja Boy song.

Mary Catherine Wood choreographed the routine.

"She's the Paula Abdul of Collierville," said her friend, Wendy Rodgers.

Aren't you just sick you missed it?

Great food, music and Elvis wannabes were shaking on the Collierville Square : Columnists : Commercial Appeal

Greeks battle in philanthropic tug-of-war

You gotta have 'pull' if you want to win.

Brent Forgues | Senior Photographer

Members of Alpha Gamma Rho cheer on one of their teammates during Wednesday night's Turtle Tug. The tug-of-war philanthropy, hosted by Sigma Phi Epsilon and Delta Zeta, raised $1,600 for a summer camp in California for terminally ill children.

Passers-by witnessed a strange spectacle Wednesday evening as a disrobed student darted across the front lawn of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Nearly 200 Greek students, garbed in various costumes and homemade T-shirts, gathered for the fraternity's annual fall philanthropy.

Co-sponsored by the Delta Zeta sorority, Wednesday's event featured The Turtle Tug, a tug-of-war tournament between 10 sororities and 12 fraternities. The affair raised more than $1,600 to benefit the Painted Turtle, a summer camp for terminally ill children in California.

"We've done it every year," said Paul Giovacchini, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and a senior in the College of Liberal Arts. "It's a lot of fun. We really look forward to it."

The Exponent - Purdue's Student Newspaper

Hey, Pledge! Get me a beer!

The new must-have gadget for chapter houses.


If the inventors ever get together with the guys who made this device, then they will really have something!

Just in! - Duke D.A. Barred from Bar

Looks like yesterday's crocodile tears and offer to resign were not enough to convince the ethics panel. They told him this afternoon "You can't quit, You're Fired!"

N.C. panel disbars Duke prosecutor

By AARON BEARD, Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. - District Attorney Mike Nifong will be disbarred for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee decided Saturday. Even the veteran prosecutor said the punishment was appropriate.

"This matter has been a fiasco. There's no doubt about it," said committee chairman F. Lane Williamson.

Nifong sat motionless, one hand resting over his mouth, as Williamson recounted how he engaged in dishonest and deceitful conduct. He said Nifong's early comments about the case — which included a confident proclamation that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl" — were purposefully designed to boost his campaign for district attorney.

"At the time he was facing a primary, and yes, he was politically naive," Williamson said. "But we can draw no other conclusion that those initial statements he made were to further his political ambitions."

Nifong will not appeal the punishment, his lawyer said.
[...]
Williamson questioned why it took several months for the defense to get DNA test results that found genetic material from several men in the accuser's underwear and body, but none from any lacrosse player.

"It wasn't just one little oversight," Williamson said later. "This was conduct over an extended period in a very high-profile case."

Aware of those test results, Nifong pressed ahead with the case anyway and won indictments against Dave Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty. State prosecutors later concluded the three players were "innocent" victims of a rogue prosecutor's "tragic rush to accuse."

Looks like from now on the only bar Mr. Nifong will be addressing is the one with whiskey bottles and beer taps.

And it isn't over for him, either. Attorneys for the three lacrosse players are planning to seek criminal contempt charges, too.
N.C. panel disbars Duke prosecutor - Yahoo! News

Duke lacrosse prosecutor plans to quit

The DA who so aggressively pursued the Duke lacrosse players he alleged raped a woman at a party has announced he is quitting. He is currently on trial himself for allegations of ethics violations in the case. He kept insisting the three young men were guilty and must be prosecuted even as the case fell apart. The accuser kept changing her story as new facts came to light, and there was a total lack of forensic evidence of wrongdoing.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Testifying in defense of his conduct in the sexual assault case against three Duke University lacrosse players, Durham County District Attorney Michael Nifong cried and conceded that he made mistakes, apologized to the accused and their families for the "pain" the prosecution had caused and announced his intention to resign.

"To the extent that my actions have caused pain to Finnertys, the Seligmanns, the Evans', I apologize," he said Friday during the emotional conclusion to his direct testimony at a bar hearing. "To the extent that my actions have brought disrespect or disrepute to the bar, to my community, I apologize."
[...]
A three-person panel of the North Carolina State Bar is considering charges that Nifong violated ethics rules while pursuing rape allegations, brought by a stripper hired to perform at a team party, against the three players. The state attorney general in April declared that the players were "innocent."

The bar complaint accuses Nifong of making prejudicial statements in the case's early stages, of lying to a judge and of withholding exculpatory DNA evidence. If he is found guilty, the panel could suspend his law license or disbar him.
[...]
Nifong denied that the months of withholding the DNA evidence — which showed other men's DNA present but not that of the accused players — was malicious. Instead, he said it was a result of an oversight caused in part by his lack of careful notes.

There are a lot of college students who read this blog. Can you imaging having this conversation with your parents? Parents, can you imaging having this conversation with your child?...

The ramifications of his pursuit of the allegations also became clearer Friday, as Reade Seligmann testified about the effect on his family.

Seligmann choked back tears and brought tears to the eyes of family members when he described how he learned that he had been picked out of a lineup by the accuser. He was in his lawyer's office, he said, when the secretary came in and said, "Mike Nifong is on the phone."

"He picks up the phone. You could see the color in his face just changing. ... The room was spinning," Seligmann said. "My dad just fell to the floor, and I just sat on the ground, and I said, 'My life is over.' " He then called his mother.

"I said, 'Mom are you alone right now?' She said, 'Yeah, what's going on?' " he testified. "I said, 'She picked me.' I could hear her on the other end of the phone. The life was just sucked right out of her."

As the parent of a college student, I cringe to think of it.

The outcome of the hearing may be a recommendation to disbar Nifong. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

But how are the three young men who have had their lives completely disrupted going to get the last year back? You may recall they were vilified in the press as being "spoiled rich kids" with no sense of responsibility. Although they were lacrosse players, when you read the coverage from back then it is easy to see how the DA, news media, and of course the blogosphere were simply substituting "lacrosse team" for "fraternity" in their rush to judgment.

Duke lacrosse prosecutor plans to quit | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Why Not Drink at 18?

Courtesy of The Fratboy News

Former College President Advocates Lower Drinking Age

A former college president has been very outspoken lately, advocating a change of the legal drinking age in the United States to 18.

John M. McCardell Jr., a former president at Middlebury College, established a group called Choose Responsibility. He and the group are behind the idea that a lower drinking age may make one of the most popular activities for college students a little safer.

"If binge drinking has never been worse, why do we think legal age 21 has been successful?" McCardell says. "Drinking is taking place in out-of-sight places and in settings that increase the risk of harm to the individuals who are consuming alcohol and anyone who finds themselves in their path. I think we can do better."

One of his ideas is for teenagers to complete a test to get a drinking license that would allow them to drink before turning 21.