"Police inquiry casts doubt on alleged rape at Virginia fraternity; Case became infamous after magazine article" by Larry O’Dell, Associated Press March 23, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A five-month police investigation into an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia, described in graphic detail in a Rolling Stone article, produced no evidence of the attack and was stymied by the accuser’s unwillingness to cooperate, authorities said Monday.
The article, titled ‘‘A rape on campus,’’ traced the story from a student identified only as ‘‘Jackie,’’ who said she was raped at a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house on Sept., 28, 2012. It also described a hidden culture of sexual violence fueled by binge drinking at the college. Police said they found no evidence of that either.
There were numerous discrepancies between the article and what they found, said Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo, who was careful not to characterize Jackie’s account as a false allegation.
The case is suspended, not closed, and the fact that investigators could not find evidence years later ‘‘doesn’t mean that something terrible didn’t happen to Jackie,’’ Longo said.
He appealed for anyone with information about the case or any sexual assault to come forward, and he even said Jackie may one day be in a place where she would be comfortable explaining what happened.
I'm sure she thought the false accusations were doing some good.
‘‘There’s a difference between a false allegation and something that happened that may have been different than what was described in that article,’’ Longo said.
Asked whether Jackie would be charged with making a false report, he said: ‘‘Absolutely not.’’
Political correctness run amok.
Accurate or not, the article heightened scrutiny of sexual assaults on college campuses.
In other words, it was an AGENDA-PUSHING POS so that government can become more like the Nazis and regulate sexual behavior.
So when are they going to go after all the elite pedophile rings?
Even before it was published, the Department of Education revealed a list of 55 colleges, including the University of Virginia, under investigation for the way they handled sexual assault allegations. President Obama’s administration launched a campaign to end campus sex assaults.
I'm sure I have articles dealing with it.
Longo said Jackie first described a sexual assault when she met with a dean in May 2013 about an academic issue, but ‘‘the sexual act was not consistent with what was described’’ in the Rolling Stone article. The dean brought in police, but Jackie did not want them to investigate and the case was dropped.
In any case, the ‘‘sexual act’’ she described that year was ‘‘not consistent with what was described’’ in the Rolling Stone article.
After the article was printed in November, she met with police, this time with an attorney, and again refused to talk.
Almost immediately, news organizations found discrepancies that prompted the magazine to print an apology.
Hmmmmm.
University of Virginia president Theresa Sullivan asked police to investigate, and they called Jackie in for another interview. She showed up with a lawyer and again refused to talk.
Rolling Stone eventually asked the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to review its editorial process and the piece by its contributing editor, Sabrina Rubin Erdely. The magazine said Monday that the review’s results are imminent and would be published in a couple weeks.
Just jwho is Sabrina Rubin Erdely?
Investigators spoke to about 70 people, including friends of the accuser and fraternity members, and spent hundreds of hours on the investigation, Longo said. None provided any evidence supporting the claim of a gang rape at the Phi Kappa Psi house.
They gathered ample evidence casting doubt on Jackie’s claims, he said.
The article described Jackie’s recollection of a date she had on Sept. 28, 2012, with a classmate, who she said lured her upstairs at his fraternity house, where she was raped by seven fraternity brothers and thrown through a glass table.
Distraught and bleeding, Jackie told three friends that night about the assault, and two of them urged her to stay silent to avoid becoming a social outcast, the article said.
In interviews, however, the same friends said the opposite was true: They said they insisted Jackie contact police, but she refused. The friends said the article did not match what Jackie had told them that night, and that she did not appear physically injured at the time.
It was all a LIE then, wasn't it!!?
Yeah, THAT will help the cause of raped and abused women!
Erdely’s article also accused campus authorities of covering up sex assault allegations to protect the university’s image. Sullivan, thanking police Monday, said this was never true.
Like nearly all of what you read in the AmeriKan ma$$ media these days.
--more--"
"Rolling Stone retracts article on gang rape" by Ravi Somaiya, New York Times April 06, 2015
NEW YORK — Rolling Stone magazine retracted its article about a brutal gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity after the release of a report Sunday that concluded the widely discredited article was the result of failures at every stage of the editorial process.
The report, published by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and commissioned by Rolling Stone, said the magazine failed to engage in “basic, even routine journalistic practice” to verify details of the ordeal that the magazine’s source, identified only as Jackie, described to the article’s author, Sabrina Rubin Erdely.
On Sunday, Erdely, in her first extensive comments since the story was cast into doubt, apologized to Rolling Stone’s readers, her colleagues, and “any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article.”
Not good enough.
In an interview discussing Columbia’s findings, Jann S. Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone, acknowledged the story’s flaws but said it represented an isolated and unusual episode. The problems with the article started with its source, Wenner said.
She will be fired, right?
He described her as “a really expert fabulist storyteller” who managed to manipulate the magazine’s editorial process. When asked to clarify, he said that he was not trying to blame Jackie, “but obviously there is something here that is untruthful, and something sits at her doorstep.”
OMG, he's BLAMING the VICTIM and PASSING the BUCK!
The Columbia report cataloged a series of errors at Rolling Stone, finding that the magazine could have avoided trouble with the story if certain basic “reporting pathways” had been followed.
It's called SLOPPY JOURNALI$M!
Written by Steve Coll, the Columbia journalism school’s dean; Sheila Coronel, the dean of academic affairs; and Derek Kravitz, a postgraduate research scholar at the university, the report, at nearly 13,000 words, is longer than the 9,000-word article, “A Rape on Campus.”
After its publication last November, the article stoked a national conversation about sexual assault on college campuses and roiled the university.
The police in Charlottesville, Va., said last month they had “exhausted all investigative leads” and found “no substantive basis” to support the article’s depiction of the assault. Jackie did not cooperate with the police and declined to be interviewed for the Columbia report. She also declined, through her lawyer, to be interviewed for this article.
Jackie is no longer in touch with some of the advocates who first brought her to the attention of Rolling Stone, said Emily Renda, a rape survivor working on sexual assault issues at the University of Virginia.
Wenner said Erdely would continue to write for Rolling Stone, and that Will Dana, the magazine’s managing editor, and the editor of the article, Sean Woods, would keep their jobs.
(Blog editor shakes head. Not that it matters. Rolling Stone sucks)
In an interview, Dana said he had reached many of the same conclusions as the Columbia report in his own efforts to examine the article, but he disagreed with the report’s assertion that the magazine had staked its reputation on the word of one source.
Among the missteps, the report said, was that Erdely did not seek to independently contact three of Jackie’s friends, who were quoted in the story; and Rolling Stone did not provide the fraternity with enough information to adequately respond to questions from the magazine.
It was a frame job, and now may not be the time to mention it but remember the pregnancy pact story that was lie?
--more--"
"Fraternity to pursue legal action against Rolling Stone; Says gang rape story defamed; Magazine has retracted articles" by Alan Suderman, Associated Press April 07, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A fraternity at the University of Virginia announced Monday that it will “pursue all available legal action” against Rolling Stone, saying a Columbia Journalism School review shows the magazine acted recklessly and defamed its members by publishing an article that falsely accused them of gang rape.
“The Rolling Stone article viewed by millions fueled a court of public opinion that ostracized Phi Kappa Psi members and led to vandalism of the fraternity house,” the fraternity’s statement said.
“Clearly our fraternity and its members have been defamed, but more importantly we fear this entire episode may prompt some victims to remain in the shadows, fearful to confront their attackers,” said Stephen Scipione, president of the University of Virginia’s Phi Kappa Psi chapter. “If Rolling Stone wants to play a real role in addressing this problem, it’s time to get serious.”
Rolling Stone’s “shock narrative” about sex assaults at the University of Virginia was rife with bad journalism, and the magazine has nobody but its own staff to blame, Columbia Journalism School dean Steve Coll said Monday at a question and answer session about the review he led at the magazine’s request.
The magazine pledged to review its practices and removed “A Rape on Campus” from its website, but publisher Jann S. Wenner said he would not fire anyone despite the blistering review.
In a New York Times interview, Wenner described “Jackie,” whose claims provided the article’s narrative thread, as “a really expert fabulist storyteller” who manipulated the magazine’s journalism process.
Yes, she was such a FABULOUS STORYTELLER!
“Rolling Stone Magazine admits its staff engaged in reckless behavior while covering this story, yet the magazine refuses to take any action against those involved in reporting the story or address needed changes to its editorial process,” the fraternity said.
“The reporter in question not only failed to apologize to members of Phi Kappa Psi, but doesn’t even acknowledge the three witnesses she quoted in the article but never interviewed. This is a clear and sad indication that the magazine is not serious about its journalistic obligations,” it said.
Coll strongly disagreed “with any suggestion that this was Jackie’s fault.”
“The editors made judgments about attribution, fact-checking and verification that greatly increased their risks of error but had little or nothing to do with protecting Jackie’s position,” the report found.
Jackie’s lawyer, Palma Pustilnik, said Monday that “we are not making any comment at all at this time.”
University president Teresa A. Sullivan said the article hurt efforts to fight sexual violence, tarred the school’s reputation, and falsely accused some students “of heinous, criminal acts and falsely depicted others as indifferent to the suffering of their classmate.”
The story horrified readers, unleashed campus protests, and sparked a national discussion about sex assaults. Charlottesville police launched a separate investigation, which they suspended two weeks ago for lack of evidence even while publicly appealing for Jackie to cooperate. Her lawyer declined to make her available to police or the team at Columbia.
The Columbia review was requested by Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana, who apologized again Monday as he retracted the article.
Except he didn't apologize once. Look at 'em protect their own.
Author Sabrina Rubin Erdely also apologized, saying she would not repeat the same mistakes.
Too late. No one will ever believe a word you right ever again.
But Sheila Coronel, the journalism school’s dean of academic affairs, said “nothing ever disappears on the Internet.”
:-)
To rebuild trust, Coll said the magazine should prohibit pseudonyms, take care to share the details of allegations so that the accused can fully and fairly respond, and be transparent to readers about what the authors don’t know.
To rebuild trust.... ha-ha-ha.
Advocates for sexual assault victims said the furor over the Rolling Stone article might deter some rape victims from coming forward, but they generally said the national campaign to curb sexual assaults on college campuses will keep gaining strength.
“I’m afraid this will perpetuate the myth that sexual assault on campus is this made-up phenomenon,” said Alison Kiss, executive director of the Clery Center for Security On Campus. “It puts a lot more on the plate of those who are working to combat it.”
Kiss described on-campus sexual assault as an epidemic that needs to be addressed aggressively. The rate of false reports, she said, is between 2 percent and 10 percent.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, antiviolence activist Savannah Badalich also worried that the retraction might dissuade some victims from coming forward.
Badalich has written about being sexually assaulted during her sophomore year and deciding not to report the incident.
Rolling Stone, she said, did a disservice to Jackie by not fact-checking her account more rigorously.
Badalich said there could be a positive legacy to the case if journalists improve the overall coverage of sexual assault. “If we take this as a teachable moment on how to report on incidents of violence like this, it could be positive,” she said.
Now I know this was an agenda-pushing effort.
--more--"
Related:
"These lobbying efforts come as colleges and universities have shut fraternity chapters or required them to admit women after sex-assault allegations. Activists representing rape victims say that schools don’t take complaints seriously. A new documentary, “The Hunting Ground,’’ singles out fraternities for creating an environment that enables assaults. Yet there’s a growing backlash from critics — including some Harvard and University of Pennsylvania law professors — who say campus sexual-assault proceedings are stacked against the accused. The 10-year-old FratPAC, which has raised about $2.1 million in donations for congressional candidates, invites students every year to Capitol Hill to lobby on issues related to fraternity houses."
So what else is going on at the Virginia campus?
"Manner of student’s arrest decried at Va. campus rally" by Heidi Brown, Associated Press March 20, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Students at the University of Virginia are demanding justice for a student who was injured during an arrest and appears in a photo with a bloody face as he is being held down by an officer.
About 1,000 students showed up — more than expected, so the rally for Martese Johnson was moved several times, finally ending up at an outdoor amphitheater.
Governor Terry McAuliffe has called for an investigation into the early morning arrest of Johnson, whose lawyer said he needed 10 stitches in his head.
Johnson was charged on two counts: obstruction of justice without force, and public swearing or intoxication, Charlottesville district court records show.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control agent who made the arrest, listed in court records as J. Miller, said in the arrest report that Johnson ‘‘was very agitated and belligerent.’’
A statement from a group calling itself ‘‘Concerned Black Students,’’ however, claims the arrest of Johnson was unprovoked and extreme.
‘‘The brutish force used resulted in his head and bodily injuries,’’ the group said in a statement. ‘‘His treatment was unprovoked as he did not resist questioning or arrest.’’
Steven Lewis, a graduate student from Atlanta, said he came out to express his ‘‘outrage’’ over what happened. ‘‘This seemed like the only thing to do.’’
Johnson was on hand for the event, flanked by fellow students. He spoke briefly and kept touching his face where he received stitches from the early Wednesday morning scuffle with police.
‘‘I beg for you guys to please respect everyone here,’’ Johnson told the crowd. ‘‘We really are one community.’’
University president Teresa Sullivan made a brief appearance on the grassy field, but spoke only to reporters and did not make any formal remarks to the crowd.
Earlier Wednesday, UVA student Bryan Beaubrun said he was with Johnson and photographed the arrest.
Beaubrun said Johnson was trying to get into the Trinity Irish Pub when he was stopped by a bouncer. Then, an ABC officer grabbed Johnson by the arm and pulled him away from the bar to speak with a group of police officers, Beaubrun said.
After about a minute, Beaubrun said, Johnson asked the officer to let go of his arm and tried pulling away. At that point, another beverage control officer grabbed Johnson from behind and the two officers wrestled Johnson to the ground, Beaubrun said.
He said Johnson hit his head on the ground when he was tackled and that police acted with unnecessary force.
‘‘He didn’t need to be tackled. He wasn’t being aggressive at all,’’ Beaubrun said.
If authority beats or kills you in this country you deserved it. Case closed.
Johnson’s lawyer, Daniel P. Watkins, released a statement Wednesday night saying that Johnson ‘‘is absolutely devastated’’ by what happened. He described Johnson as a 20-year-old, third-year student at UVA who is majoring in Italian and Media Studies, holds ‘‘numerous leadership positions’’ at the school, and has no criminal record.
‘‘We are preparing to investigate and defend this matter vigorously,’’ Watkins said.
McAuliffe’s office issued a statement asking state police to investigate ‘‘the use of force in this matter.’’
Pfffft!
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued a statement saying ‘‘uniformed ABC Agents observed and approached’’ an unidentified individual ‘‘after he was refused entry to a licensed establishment’’ about 12:45 a.m. at an area of bars and restaurants near campus known as ‘‘the Corner.’’
The agency said the unidentified individual received injuries while being arrested and was treated at a hospital before being released.
The ABC said the agents involved with the arrest are being restricted to administrative duties while a State Police investigation is underway.
They will be cleared.
--more--"
Let's go somewhere else:
"N.C. State fraternities latest accused of inappropriate behavior" Associated Press March 21, 2015
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two fraternities at North Carolina State University have been suspended — one for what appeared to be an offensive pledge book, the other for drug and sexual assault allegations — two of the latest chapters cited in a wave of inappropriate behavior across the country.
I'm opposed to elitism in all its forms.
The national Pi Kappa Phi organization said Thursday that it suspended its Raleigh chapter while it investigates derogatory comments attributed to members in a book found at a restaurant near campus.
New details about drug paraphernalia surfaced in a search warrant in the investigation of sexual assault allegations at Alpha Tau Omega, which was suspended this month.
Details about the North Carolina suspensions surfaced not long after shocking behavior at the University of Oklahoma and Penn State have put fraternities in the spotlight.
At Penn State, police are investigating allegations members of Kappa Delta Rho used a private Facebook page to post photos of nude and partly nude women.
NSA got a look at them, too!
More than 100 Penn State University students and other supporters demonstrated Friday against the accused fraternity, urging the administration to take stronger action against those involved.
This after Sandusky.
At Oklahoma, Sigma Alpha Epsilon members were caught on video singing a racist song.
In Raleigh, television station WRAL posted photos of a notebook attributed to Pi Kappa Phi brothers. The notebook included sexist and racially insensitive comments....
--more--"
Let's get over to Penn State:
"Penn State fraternity suspended for nude photos page; Group allegedly shared images without consent" by Mark Scolforo, Associated Press March 18, 2015
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Penn State University fraternity was suspended for a year Tuesday after police began investigating allegations that members used a private, invitation-only Facebook page to post photos of nude and partly nude women, some apparently asleep or passed out.
A former member of Kappa Delta Rho at the university’s flagship campus in State College tipped police off to the page, telling them in January that it had been used by members to share photos of “unsuspecting victims, drug sales, and hazing,” according to a copy of a police warrant obtained Tuesday.
The former member also provided printouts of the page.
The fraternity’s national executive director, Joe Rosenberg, told the Penn State chapter in a letter Tuesday that it is banned from most activities for the near future and must reorganize.
He said the suspension was “for the most serious misconduct, most serious disregard of fraternity rules, policies, and property by the chapter.”
Chapter officials, who can appeal the decision, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
A Penn State administrator called the allegations a violation of the standards and values required for recognized student organizations.
“The evidence offered by the Facebook postings is appalling, offensive and inconsistent with the university community’s values and expectations,” Damon Sims, Penn State’s vice president for student affairs, said in a news release.
Sims said the school continues to investigate and vowed that the university would find those responsible and hold them accountable.
Police said anyone who posted the photos could face misdemeanor charges of harassment or invasion of privacy, with a fine the most likely sentence.
An investigation of the informant’s computer “yielded information on two victims whose images would rise to the level of criminal action,” State College police Lieutenant Keith Robb said Tuesday.
Facebook was contacted to disable the site and to obtain more information for the investigation, Robb said.
Some posts involved women in “sexual or embarrassing positions,” the warrant reads. “It appears from the photos provided that the individuals in the photos are not aware that the photos had been taken.”
--more--"
Still waiting to see the charges.
"Fraternity disciplined over gang-themed party" Associated Press April 07, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson University put the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity on probation for two years after the group held a ‘‘Cripmas’’ party last December that had students dressed like gang members, according to a statement released Monday.
The fraternity’s national organization was outraged by the Christmas-themed party that had members wearing blue and red bandanas, colors of the street gangs the Crips and Bloods, using gang hand symbols, and wearing T-shirts with images of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
About two dozen students were suspended and the leaders of the chapter, whose operations are controlled by alumni advisers, were removed.
‘‘The decision of a few brothers to hold the type of social event they organized is inexcusable and completely inappropriate, and the entire group was sanctioned.
“Furthermore, their behavior in no way reflects the values and creed of the fraternity, and we apologize to campus and local community for their actions because we teach our brothers to be leaders, scholars and, most importantly, gentlemen,’’ the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon Organization said.
Pictures of the party were posted on social media, causing backlash as black students said Clemson did not do enough to promote racial tolerance. About 6 percent of Clemson’s students are black.
The fraternity violated alcohol rules and student conduct codes, according to a brief statement by the university. The probation runs until February 2017. The fraternity also must complete an education program about alcohol, social justice, and gangs.
--more--"
Seems like a lot of that is happening:
"Univ. of Oklahoma severs ties with frat after racist chant" Associated Press March 10, 2015
NORMAN, Okla. — The president of the University of Oklahoma severed the school’s ties with a national fraternity on Monday and ordered that its on-campus house be shuttered after several members took part in a racist chant caught on video.
President David Boren said he was sickened and couldn’t eat or sleep after learning about the video Sunday afternoon. The video, which was posted online, shows several people on a bus participating in a chant that included a racial slur, referenced lynching, and indicated black students would never be admitted to OU’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
And these are the people being trained for leadership?
Boren attended a predawn rally organized by students and lambasted those fraternity members as ‘‘disgraceful’’ and called their behavior ‘‘reprehensible.’’ He said the university was looking into punishment, including expulsion.
‘‘This is not who we are,’’ Boren said at a news conference. ‘‘I’d be glad if they left. I might even pay the bus fare for them.’’
National leaders of Sigma Alpha Epsilon said Sunday its investigation confirmed members took part in the chant and announced it would close the chapter. The fraternity said it was ‘‘embarrassed’’ by the ‘‘unacceptable and racist’’ behavior.
Boren said members have until midnight Tuesday to remove their belongings from the fraternity house.
--more--"
"2 University of Oklahoma students expelled for role in bus chant" by Manny Fernandez and Richard Pérez-Peña, New York Times March 11, 2015
NORMAN, Okla. — Officials with the University of Oklahoma Tuesday expelled two students they had identified as playing a leading role in singing a racist chant on a bus over the weekend that has sparked outrage across the country.
The university’s president, David L. Boren, a former Oklahoma governor, expelled the two students but did not identify them, saying that they had “created a hostile learning environment for others.”
As offensive as it may be, it looks like free speech is on its way out.
Boren said the university was continuing its investigation of all the students involved in singing the chant, and that once the identities of other students had been confirmed, “they will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.”
The expulsion letter to the students states that the action takes effect immediately and that they can contact the university’s Equal Opportunity Officer to contest the decision.
Some students who know one of the two SAE members who were expelled identified him as a 19-year-old freshman from Dallas who attended the Jesuit College Preparatory School, a prestigious, private, all-boys school located in north Dallas that is 69 percent white. Officials with that school said Tuesday that it appears a former student there was in the racist video. The school did not publicly identify the student.
‘‘I am appalled by the actions in the video and extremely hurt by the pain this has caused our community,’’ the Jesuit school’s president, Mike Earsing, said in a statement. ‘‘It is unconscionable and very sad that in 2015 we still live in a society where this type of bigotry and racism takes place.’’
That's what happens when you have a society inculcated with Zionist values.
The campus has been reeling since members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were shown in two videos chanting a song whose lyrics included racial slurs boasting there would never be a black member and referring to lynching, with the words, “you can hang ’em from a tree.”
You know, you never see those here.
Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot and a white guy was insulted by a black kid, well, it's just not that big an issue in the agenda-pushing divider known as the propaganda pre$$.
Kind of ruined the game, if you know what I mean.
The university’s president as well as the fraternity’s national headquarters in Illinois shut the chapter after the first video was released Sunday, and university officials severed all ties to it Monday. The fraternity’s house was ordered closed by midnight Tuesday and the national fraternity suspended all of the members.
Feel like I'm going to pass out....
The video has also left the national chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon defending itself against claims that the racist song has been used for years, not just at Oklahoma but on other campuses as well.
I don't doubt it.
Former fraternity members in other states have said on social media that the same chant was used at their colleges, and University of Oklahoma officials who are investigating said they do not believe the song originated on their campus.
“I’m not sure that it’s strictly local,” Boren said.
One Oklahoma student told NBC News that she heard fraternity members chant the same song two years ago while on a bus to a fraternity party. “I would definitely say this is not an isolated incident,” said the senior, who had asked not to be identified.
Then why is the propaganda pre$$ all of a sudden all over it?
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Oklahoma has had black members, but very few, and none recently, according to alumni. William Blake James II wrote on his blog that when he joined in 2001, he was only the second black member, “and there still hasn’t been a third black man” and some of his former fraternity brothers, writing on Facebook, supported that account.
“I don’t want to be angry, but I can’t help but feel grieved,” James said in an interview with a local television station, KFOR. “I feel like I’ve lost a family member.”
Maybe you should sue 'em.
In a statement, the fraternity’s national headquarters said it was investigating several other incidents involving other chapters and members.
The fallout continued to reverberate far from the University of Oklahoma campus. One of the nation’s most sought-after high school football players, Jean Delance of Mesquite, Texas, who is black, withdrew his previous commitment to play for Oklahoma, citing the videos.
Now this is serious!
--more--"
Related: Lawyer for barred Okla. fraternity seeks to alter student punishment" by Richard Pérez-PeñaNew York Times March 14, 2015
My printed byline says Sean Murphy, Associated Press. Must be the drunken stupor.
"Oklahoma student who led racist chant apologizes" Associated Press March 26, 2015
OKLAHOMA CITY — A former University of Oklahoma fraternity member caught on video leading a racist chant said Wednesday that he is deeply sorry for his role in the incident and upset and embarrassed that he failed to stop it.
Yeah, now. the spoiled little sh**.
Flanked by several black Oklahoma City community leaders, including pastors and civil rights activists, Levi Pettit publicly apologized following a meeting he had with civic leaders at a Baptist Church on the city’s predominantly black northeast side.
“Some have wondered why I hadn’t spoken out publicly. The truth is I have had a mix of pain, shame, sorrow, and fear over the consequences of my actions,” Pettit said. “I did not want to apologize to the press or to the whole country until I first came to apologize to those most directly impacted.”
Pettit and several other members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the university were caught on video engaging in the chant that referenced lynching and used a racial slur to describe how African-Americans would never become members.
State Senator Anastasia Pittman, chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus, coordinated Wednesday’s meeting after Pettit reached out to her.
--more--"
"Racist chant in SAE’s culture, University of Oklahoma finds" by Susan Svrluga, Washington Post March 28, 2015
WASHINGTON — After investigating a racist chant sung by Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers on their way to an SAE event, University of Oklahoma officials have concluded that members of the school’s chapter had learned it at a leadership event hosted by the fraternity’s national headquarters in 2011.
The university found that the chant had become ‘‘part of the institutionalized culture” of the Oklahoma chapter and its pledging process, rather than being limited to a small group.
A video of the chant, which included racial slurs against African-Americans and a lynching reference, was spread by social media, and prompted a national debate about race relations on campuses. SAE is one of the country’s largest fraternities, with 15,000 current members....
I have nothing to say.
--more--"
"Federal charges over Ole Miss noose" Associated Press March 28, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. — A former University of Mississippi student has been indicted on federal charges connected to a noose being put on a statue of the student who integrated the school, the US Justice Department said Friday.
Another hoax?
The noose and a former Georgia flag that prominently featured the Confederate battle emblem were placed on the James Meredith statue on the campus in Oxford in February 2014. In 1962, Meredith had to be escorted by armed federal agents as he enrolled under court order as the first black student at the university.
Graeme Phillip Harris of Alpharetta, Ga., faces one count of conspiracy to violate civil rights, and one of using a threat of force to intimidate based on race or color.
Harris was a student at Ole Miss went the noose was put on the statue, but is not currently enrolled, officials said.
--more--"
Whatever happened to good old hazing?
"Hazing may cost N.Y. pledge his fingers" Associated Press March 06, 2015
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A Syracuse University pledge may lose four fingers after being forced to crawl in the snow and perform late-night push-ups, and two fraternity members face charges for the hazing stunt.
Three young men pledging the Nu Alpha Phi fraternity were taken to a city park around midnight Saturday and made to do exercises wearing hooded sweatshirts and no gloves for ‘‘failing to perform their daily duties,’’ according to Syracuse police.
After about 30 minutes, the pledges were given hand warmers and told to walk back to the fraternity house, police said.
One of the pledges, an unidentified 20-year-old, experienced extreme pain in his hands and sought treatment Sunday at a hospital.
Thanks for getting them into trouble!
--more--"
"Syracuse hazing victim’s fingers may be saved" Associated Press March 07, 2015
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Police say the condition of a Syracuse University student’s frostbitten fingers has improved since he was injured in a fraternity hazing stunt held outdoors during frigid weather conditions.
Lieutenant Eric Carr said Friday that the 20-year-old has blood flow to his fingers, and that ‘‘he will not lose them at this time.’’ The Syracuse police officer added that the young man will need extensive physical therapy.
Police initially had said the victim was in danger of losing four fingers.
The student suffered frostbite to the ring and pinky fingers on each hand while doing push-ups and other exercises in a Syracuse park last weekend. Officers say he and two other students were pledging the Nu Alpha Phi fraternity.
Two members of the fraternity have been charged with first-degree hazing.
--more--"
I'll bet they didn't let him in.
He's lucky they just made him crawl in the snow:
"Vodka linked to N.Y. hazing death" Times Union April 02, 2015
ALBANY, N.Y. — A college sophomore who died of excessive alcohol consumption drank a 60-ounce bottle of vodka during what college officials said was the hazing of pledges at an unsanctioned fraternity, according to court papers filed in connection to the case.
The Times Union of Albany reported Monday that the documents were filed by two students who were expelled from the University at Albany after Trevor Duffy, 19, of the Bronx, died in November.
His death came after a night of heavy drinking during a party held by Zeta Beta Tau members at an off-campus home.
The two students want to return to the college. They were among the 24 sanctioned by the university after its investigation determined members of the underground frat were guilty of drug, alcohol, and student group violations, as well as threatening and abusive behavior, endangerment, hazing, and disruptive conduct, the newspaper reported.
The university’s investigation concluded Duffy’s death was the result of hazing. No one has been arrested. Albany police said their investigation is continuing.
Duffy died at an Albany hospital on Nov. 17, two days after drinking large amounts of alcohol with other frat pledges. Police said they went to the Albany home early Nov. 16 after someone called 911 to report an intoxicated man in need of medical assistance.
Officers said Duffy and four other young men were taken to the hospital for treatment for excessive alcohol consumption. The other four men were treated and released.
The court papers included details of other frat hazing rituals that included pledges being told to fight one another and eat the insides of cigars.
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Thankfully, spring break is here:
"Officials try to rein in spring break parties" Associated Press March 30, 2015
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — A house party that dissolved into a hail of gunfire and left seven young people hurt has officials on the Florida Panhandle pondering what to do with a spring break season they say has gotten out of control.
The raucous parties during spring break in Panama City Beach have, for years, had politicians, police, and businesses tussling over how much to crack down on a key economic force.
Pffft!
That debate was revived again when a packed gathering of dancing 20-somethings turned into a crime scene early Saturday.
‘‘This is what we’ve been trying to warn people about,’’ said Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen....
The City Council held an emergency meeting Saturday to address spring break, allocating up to $200,000 in additional spending for increased police patrols. But motions introduced by Councilor Keith Curry to ban alcohol on the beach and to roll back the last call on alcohol sales two hours earlier to midnight were unsuccessful.
David Jamichael Daniels, 22, of Mobile, Ala., has been charged with seven counts of attempted murder in the shooting and remained at the Bay County Jail awaiting a first court appearance.
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Time for me to break for the day.
I heard the parties are at BU and M.I.T., but hopefully we could find a better place to party.
Good night, readers.
NDU: Oklahoma approves ban on second-trimester abortion method
What if it is a mixed race baby?
