Sig Ep pleads not guilty to hazing

Addendum: Sigma Phi Epsilon was later cleared of the charges

Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was tried before the Patterson Court Judiciary Board for hazing new members over three months after the incident occurred on Self Selection night. The trial began with opening statements from Sig Ep President Chris Vincoli '09 and Student Solicitor Neely Meeks '09 before a room packed with students present to support the fraternity. Meeks shared that the fraternity had been accused of hazing by Patterson Court Advisor Cheyenne Schultz, Director of Housing Dean Perillo and Area Coordinator Sabrina Brown. Davidson College defines hazing as compromising the dignity of the individual, and Schultz found that the atmosphere that the Sig Ep brothers had created for their pledges on Self Selection night was intimidating and demeaning.

Additionally, Schultz found that Sig Ep had violated Article 18 of the Patterson Court New Member Bill of Rights, which states that fraternities and eating houses may not prohibit its members from speaking.

Schultz, Perillo and Brown were all absent from the trial, but Meeks read a statement from Schultz about the incident, in which Schultz described when she, Brown and Perillo passed by the Sig Ep house at roughly 7 p.m. that night and witnessed the pledges lined up in a row outside of the house in complete silence. She continued that the lights were turned off inside of the house and that the brothers were yelling at the pledges from inside, including som obscenities. Schultz was greatly disturbed by the fact that, according to her, a brother had yelled at the pledges that "there are 25 of you and only 24 getting in," which would imply that one pledge would not be initiated into the fraternity. Also, according to Schultz, a shirtless pledge was yelled at to put his shirt back on.

Schultz also asserted that brothers were throwing objects at the pledges from inside the house. Brown stated that she saw a brother throwing an apple at the pledges and that it nearly hit them.

Schultz added that she was greatly disappointed in the fraternity because she is "one of Sig Ep's greatest fans," but that it "broke her heart" when she witnessed "what had taken place during pledging." Schultz, a strong opponent of hazing, saw Sig Ep's actions during Self Selection as "subtle hazing" and then shut down Sig Ep's activities for the night after only about 15 minutes.

Schultz conceded that Sig Ep had a valid point in that the College had sent mixed messages to Sig Ep. According to Schultz, other fraternities are allowed to send their pledges "running half naked" around Patterson Court on Self Selection night, and numerous other fraternities and eating houses engage in what could be deemed hazing during the same event.

However, Sig Ep was under probation and careful scrutiny. Schultz stressed that by no means does she want to shut down the fraternity, but that she does want Sig Ep to learn a lesson. Defense Advisor DJ Carella '09 and the rest of the fraternity were given one day to prepare for the trial; the administration informed them on Monday that the trial would occur the following evening. All Sig Ep members in attendance at the trial, new members included, had different recollections of Self Selection from Schultz, Brown and Perillo.

According to the Sig Ep New Member Educator Patrick Polenz '08, the activities were designed for the members to get to know each other. Pledges were to learn information about other members of the fraternity in their house's basement, and then they would compete in trivia games designed to help them get to know one another at a senior apartment. Afterward, they would travel off campus to eat pizza and learn fraternity cheers. All of the activities planned for the night were approved by Schultz, but they were not discussed in great detail because Schultz's main concern was that all of the activities were alcohol-free, which Polenz stated that they were.

Carella confirmed that the lights were off in the house not to create an atmosphere of intimidation, but one of excitement. As pledges walked into the house, they were greeted with welcoming cheers and excitement from the brothers. However, since the activities were stopped so soon, only five pledges were able to experience the excitement of being welcomed into the house.

Additionally, while brothers were yelling obscenities at the pledges, it was done in a lighthearted manner. Several former pledges who testified at the trial stated that the brothers were yelling things like "Ron Paul '08!" and "Expletive!" and other things that were comical and not intimidating in the least.

Other members who testified at the trial also confirmed that brothers were not throwing objects from inside of the house, but were lobbing bagels off the roof of the house. According to brothers at the trial, throwing bagels off the roof of the house is a common practice at many Sig Ep dinners as a form of comic relief. Additionally, both brothers and former pledges testified that no one threw an apple out of the window of the house. While the matter of apples and bagels was not particularly pertinent to the trial and to the matter of hazing, the discussion of these objects lightened the somewhat tense atmosphere of the trial.

Carella confirmed that while the brothers did yell at an individual to put his shirt on, it was a brother and not, as Schultz had assumed, a pledge.

Carella also clarified the matter of the supposed threat that only 24 members would be initiated into the house. According to Carella, Schultz misheard the quotation; brothers had actually yelled at the pledges, "There are 25 of you here, but there should be 26." As it turns out, the 26th pledge is a ringer or sorts. He is actually a brother and not part of the pledge class, so the activity is done in order to trick the pledges into thinking they have left one of their members behind. This is a Sig Ep ritual done year after year. According to Carella, it is done in order to stress "the unity of the class" so that they can understand that as fraternity brothers, they need to look out for each other.