This Year's 5 Worst Greek Life Scandals
Greek life has not had the best year, to say the least. Hazing incidents, racist chants, and alleged gang rapes have plagued our lettered peers for the past few months. Syracuse is not exempt from the drama — we have had our share of issues involving fraternities and sororities being a bit more than naughty. Here’s a list of the nation’s worst Greek life scandals from the year, in no particular order:
1. SAE racist chant: A 10-second Instagram video revealed members of the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity performing a racist chant on the bus on the way to a formal. The chant had references to lynching and included the n-word. The president of the university immediately closed the chapter after the video was released and expelled some of the involved students.
2. Phi Kappa Psi alleged rape: A Rolling Stone article released in October told the story of a University of Virginia freshman being gang-raped by members of UVA’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at a date function. The article led to a full investigation by the University and suspension of that chapter. Later details, however, discredited a lot of the survivor's story in the article, and the fraternity was taken off of suspension. The writer has since apologized and the magazine commissioned Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to review the reporting that went into the story.
3. Kappa Delta Rho’s Facebook page: Recently, a member of Pennsylvania State University’s Kappa Delta Rho came forward and revealed a Facebook page containing photos of women, some naked or clearly passed out. These photos appeared to be shared and posted by members of the chapter. The school suspended the chapter for a year, though there are currently protests calling for a more strict punishment.
4. Nu Alpha Phi hazing: A pledge of Syracuse University’s Nu Alpha Phi was taken to the hospital after being forced to do physical tasks in the freezing cold, leading to severe frostbite in four of his fingers. The chapter has been suspended and two members have been charged with first-degree hazing.
5. Sigma Alpha Mu’s ski trip disaster: Members of Universtiy Michigan’s Sigma Alpha Mu, also known as Sammy, trashed a hotel during their formal weekend, totaling over $400,000 in damages. The chapter has thus been disbanded and was forced to pay for the damages themselves. The sorority that attended the trip with the boys, Sigma Delta Tau, has lost their house on campus for next year and is on social probation.
Photo by Adham Elsharkawi