The term “Southern Gentleman” and Greek fraternal affiliations are synonymous to some at the University.
It’s easy to see why. Better men before them founded the organizations to promote brotherhood and service, and to some extent, they still do.
But in recent years, fraternities developed an overwhelming negative stigma because of national and local incidents involving everything from death to sex scandals.
Thanks to a few monumental screw-ups, fraternity members are the only people who think positively of their organizations. And a few insecure sorority girls. Plus a couple of dads proud their son joined a gigantic boyfriend club.
The problem hit home this year.
The University ousted Sigma Alpha Epsilon in November for a slew of hazing charges culminating with a pledge fulfilling an SAE tradition: screwing a virgin sorority girl then painting their notorious lions outside the fraternity house the sorority’s colors.
On Aug. 30, 2012, an unnamed wannabe brother accomplished his mission and supplied a post-sex video, which he — as any gentleman would do — sent around.
And a lot of people saw it. By a lot, I mean plenty people outside the fraternity were lucky enough to catch a glimpse. Nearly all of the Greek-affiliated male writers at the Reveille, none of which are — or were — in SAE got to see it or know someone who has it saved to their phone.
The other, lesser charges involved complete stupidity. Pledges were required to do physical activities, purchase condoms and cigarettes and be on-call to do slave work for the older members. (Ironically, pledges also had to recite SAE’s “True Gentleman” creed.)
Fortunately, the University stood up to the hazing and banned SAE from campus until Dec. 31, 2014.
This action should be the start of a larger push to hold students accountable for their actions, particularly with hazing, and for fraternities to clean up their reputations.
I’ve personally seen the injuries — cuts, one incredibly large burn and bruises — tolerated by my own friends when they pledged their respective fraternities four years ago.
“But it was an accident. They didn’t mean to do it,” was usually the explanation I was given.
Then: “Don’t tell anyone.”
None of the fraternities involved were ever disciplined.
Why people allow themselves to be treated this way is beyond me. Essentially being at the will of a bunch of dictators for a semester is not something I think would interest people.
Maybe there is some sort of brotherhood formed when you hurt one another or make someone drink until he vomits uncontrollably.
For the most part, I think it forms false friendships between people who, otherwise, wouldn’t like each other or wouldn’t hang out.
And I think members — at least the ones with any moral or ethical foundation — are afraid of exposing what happens to them, or they justify the hazing as some sort of sadistic “tradition.”
Like mentioned earlier, all fraternities haze is one form or another. For some, it’s fairly innocent and there’s no harm done, but for others, things get out of hand.
We know it goes on, but we only hear about when the “gentlemen“ kill someone or send out videos bragging about taking a girl’s virginity.
The University, as well as other higher education institutions, needs to crack down on the problem, instating harsher penalties on hazing and stopping it before another SAE incident happens.
Until then, all fraternities have to put up with a lousy reputation. You can thank SAE, others who’ve gone too far and Total Frat Move — who actually defends this behavior — for most of that shame.
But it should also be a call to do something to change the negative connotation that rolls off the tongue with the word “frat.”
Even if nothing is done, there will still be a bunch of new imbecilic pledges coming out of high school year after year in search of endless booze and girls.
Many will get hazed. Then the process will repeat. Over and over.
And none of them will ever be gentlemen.
Chris Grillot is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from New Orleans.
