Frat punishments lifted

Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta, two fraternities that experienced high-profile hazing incidents and school discipline last school year, both have had their sentences lifted.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was suspended for one year in starting last December, for a two-pickup-truck collision that sent one pledge to the hospital last October. Because of a favorable review by the Student Conduct Board, the fraternity is now on a limited probation, which prevents any on or off-campus fraternity events from having alcohol.

Phi Delta Theta was put on probation for two semesters, but their sentence was suspended during their August hearing, taking away all limitations.

The primary reason SAE's review came out so favorably was their self-induced membership review. During the review, every member of the fraternity is suspended and the alumni and regional headquarters interviews each member to decide if they fit into the image that the fraternity is trying to portray. All of the members that were involved in the pickup-truck hazing incident were not invited back; in total, the fraternity purged itself of 36 members. SAE currently has 67 members.

"From a morale standpoint, we knew we did the right thing," Ryan O'Rourke, president of SAE said. "It was hard at first, but we knew that we were getting rid of the people that didn't have a focus and weren't going in the same direction that we were."

All of the pledges that were involved in the pickup-truck collision are still part of the fraternity, many of them living in the house. Dustin Brown, the man whose nose was nearly severed as a result of the accident, is now the projects coordinator.

During their review, SAE demonstrated that they had met the educational sanctions set up by the Student Conduct Board. The group had teamed up with the Central Florida Blood Bank to conduct a blood drive on campus. Additionally, the fraternity cleaned up the New Smyrna beach with the Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

"We wanted to let the university know where we stood, and they thought we completed all the sanctions," O'Rourke said.

O'Rourke, free to recruit members for the fall said that the techniques he's using to find pledges that won't put the fraternity's new status in jeopardy is slightly different than usual. "We're just being honest, telling them that this is the situation we're in," O'Rourke explained. "We're going about business as usual, but we're not in a position where we can have any gray area," he said. "During rush, you don't have a lot of time to get to know people, but we're going to ask some tough questions."

Phi Delta Theta has also gone to lengths to have their probation relieved. The group is pleased that their probation didn't affect their ability to recruit this year. "We really didn't suffer any damages, it was just a wake-up call," fraternity member Sean Lavin, the vice president of external relations, said. The fraternity has plans to produce an anti-hazing documentary in conjunction with the group Cease Hazing Activities and Death which will be distributed to groups on campus that are at risk for hazing incidents. They are also inviting the founder of the group, Rita Saucier, to come to UCF to speak about her son's death at Auburn University due to hazing.

"We had to do a presentation, so having her come here and talk will satisfy that," Lavin said. They are doing the documentary, as well, to help others understand the effects of hazing. "This is good for the Greeks, but also for the Greater Orlando community."

SAE may join Phi Delt in its efforts to spread the video's message. "A lot of people don't have a clear-cut idea of what hazing is," O'Rourke said. "We should both be vocal in the Greek community to help prevent these sort of things from happening," he added.

"The lines are blurred in the community sometimes," Lavin said. "That's why a little bit of hazing turns into a lot of hazing. It gets started small, but it just can snowball into something dangerous," he said.

That's why Phi Delt is starting this rush season with a new zero-tolerance policy against hazing. "We have our record to go on, now we have written documentation, and we have our highest GPA record to defend," Lavin said. "That's why you can't call [pledges] up at three in the morning and tell them to sweep the floor or wash the dishes," he said.

Dave Rosenthal, the executive vice president of Phi Delt, says that anything that makes something uncomfortable could be consider hazing. "When you treat a pledge as an equal, they begin to respect you," Rosenthal said.

Phi Delt President Chris Merritt agreed. "We're looking toward creating a better man in general," Merritt said. "We treat them like an equal, and start giving them responsibility when they first step in the door."

Lavin explained the reason hazing wasn't a smart move for any organization to take, "If you haze every new class, then you end up with four factions in your organization. You don't have one class, you have four, and that's not good for the unity."

Mike Ferrari, a freshman majoring in marketing, is planning to rush for Phi Delt. "Everybody makes mistakes," he said.

Andy Rattner, a political science freshman, agrees. Though he knew some guys at other fraternities on campus, he felt that he fit in with the men of Phi Delt the best. "Some of [the other fraternities], it obvious that they want your money more than your presence," he said. The brothers told Rattner about the hazing situation. "It obviously brings awareness, but the way that they carry themselves - before and after the incident, I found out later - indicated to me that this was an isolated incident," he said.

Concerning SAE's being put on probation, Lavin was sure the Student Conduct Board had considered the case carefully. "They went through a big change, and as long as they're working to move past this, then they're on the right track," he said.