One of the events planned for this past weekend’s Salt ‘N’ Pepper was cancelled after police told the organizers that Southern University students might cause a security problem.
Salt ‘N’ Pepper is a weekend of events intended to bring traditionally white and black Greeks together and to work toward blurring the lines of self-segregation that exist within the University’s Greek organizations.
But one of the weekend’s four events was cancelled after a conversation with police in which one coordinator asked, “Are you concerned there will be too many black people on campus?”
Event coordinators had planned a party for Saturday night at the Carl Maddox Field House. They received permission from the University to serve alcohol and were seeking security detail from the LSU Police Department.
Tommy Fertel, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Steve Brockington, former president of Omega Psi Phi had made plans to co-sponsor the event.
Fertel said LSUPD Maj. Mark Shaw, a Tau Kappa Epsilon alumnus, called him at his fraternity house Wednesday night to tell him that because the party would include alcohol and because of problems at past Salt ‘N’ Pepper parties, 12 security officers would be required instead of the initially agreed upon eight.
Fertel also said Shaw “gave me the facts” about the history of Salt ‘N’ Pepper, citing problems in previous years with fighting and recent troubles with Southern students on campus.
After talking to Shaw, Fertel said he called Brockington about the increase in officers, and the three met Thursday at the LSUPD office to talk about the changes.
Brockington said Shaw explained why the party would need 12 officers.
Brockington said that when he filed a request with the LSUPD, officers originally told him the party would need eight officers.
Shaw said LSUPD did not know alcohol was being served when it gave Brockington that number, although Brockington said he put that information on the request form.
Brockington said he filed a second request including the information about the alcohol more than a week before the event, but Shaw did not mention the need for increased security until Wednesday.
Fertel said that at the meeting Thursday, Shaw expressed a concern over fighting and loitering.
Brockington said, “He said everything but ‘we’re afraid to have blacks on campus.’ He did everything under the sun to discourage us.”
At one point during the meeting, Brockington said that he asked Shaw, “are you concerned there will be too many black people on campus?”
Brockington said Shaw responded that it was not a race issue, but a liability. He cited the recent WCA shooting that involved Southern students as well as past Salt ‘N’ Pepper events that had drawn large crowds and had to be ended by the police.
Shaw denied that he had tried to scare either sponsor out of having the event, but simply told them about the risks involved and the increase in price for security because of those risks and alcohol.
Shaw said the main concern was that students would loiter. He said he expected Southern students would arrive, thinking they would be able to attend, as they had in the past, and would then have to be turned away.
Shaw said that after being turned away, he suspected many would remain in the parking lot, surprised and offended they could not attend. After being turned away, he said, the police would be required to ask them to leave and would again offend them.
Shaw said he asked the groups, “Do you, as an organization, want your name associated with the kind of enforcement we’re going to have to do?”
Brockington said the LSUPD did not cancel the party, but after presenting the liabilities to both groups for two hours and speaking with Fertel in private for 20 minutes afterward, he let the two groups decide what they wanted to do.
KC White, associate dean of students, said Thursday afternoon the office of Greek Affairs contacted the Dean’s office and said Fertel had pulled his organization’s sponsorship. Because Omega Psi Phi had not completed a necessary risk-management course required to host a party with alcohol, it could not host the event alone.
Fertel said the reason Tau Kappa Epsilon removed sponsorship was a combination of financial reasons and liability issues.
Fertel said with the change to 12 officers, neither group could afford to pay for security and that Shaw told him his organization would be stuck with the bill if it were not paid.
Fertel also said the liability of any problems also became an issue. He said that the timing was bad, and his chapter had been under enough scrutiny lately.
“I had to do what was best for my chapter,” Fertel said.
Shaw said he felt it was best that it was canceled.
“I applaud [Tau Kappa Epsilon] and [Omega Psi Phi] for redeciding what it was going to cost and realizing they couldn’t do it,” Shaw said.