TKE receives hazing penalties

The Office of Greek Affairs has placed the local chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity (TKE) on suspension-in-abeyance until early August, in addition to issuing several other penalties.

Due to the suspension, TKE must approve any event or activity it holds through the office. The decision was handed to TKE March 28 after a five-month hazing investigation regarding a photo the office received from an anonymous source, showing several pledges dancing in their underwear at an initiation event.

According to Buck Cooke, Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Greek Affairs, the photo contained "pledges that were wearing thong underwear and that appeared to be ripping each other's clothes off."

The facts became clear to the office soon after it began its investigation early last November, Cooke said. The photo was taken at the TKE Dinner Theatre, an event which was part of the initiation process for TKE pledges. During the event, the pledges performed several dance routines, as was the tradition. One of these routines, Cooke said, involved "a song and dance of a suggestive nature."

Although the pledges were not required to strip, there was, according to Cooke, a "covert expectation to outdo the previous year's dance."

Alcohol was also present at the event, which, although not forced upon the pledges, raised more concerns.

"Hazing is a broad term; what we look out for are things that are endangering. We also deal with smaller issues, but place more importance those which endanger students' well-being."

During the course of the investigation, the office also found several other fraternity events classified as hazing, some of which were unrelated to pledging. Cooke said that these events were not always endangering, but they could have lead to endangerment in the future.

One of these activities, "treeing," involved duct-taping a brother to a tree in honor of a new girlfriend or engagement. Afterwards, brothers could poor food on him.

"We do not necessarily think that this would always have been a harmful activity," Cooke said, "but it could get out of hand if unregulated."

Another such finding related to dinner interviews in which pledges memorized facts about fraternity lore. Since the interviews were conducted in front of a large group, rather than a one-on-one basis, Cooke said, this may have been intimidating.

After assessing their findings, the office issued a number of penalties to TKE in addition to placing the fraternity on suspension-held-in-abeyance.

TKE is on social probation for the fall semester of 2005; no social events can be held by the fraternity during this semester. The restriction will be lifted after the semester only if TKE can raise its average GPA to the Tech all-male average undergraduate GPA. If the fraternity is found to have any more incidents of hazing in the next ten years, it will be placed on suspension for a minimum of five years.

The fraternity was only allowed one brotherhood event in the spring semester and was not allowed to hold a spring rush.

Brett Cupta, current president of TKE, and Jay Gardner, who was president just before the investigation began, said that the investigation and the penalties were fair.

"The investigation gives TKE an opportunity to work on our program, and to change; they are very fair," Gardner said.

"We were a little surprised that a lot of things that we did not realized were hazing actually can be considered as hazing, but we think that the investigation was fair and helpful," he added.

Cupta said that many events are being formally changed to cover a broader definition of hazing. "We do believe that pledge events are supposed to be team-building events; they are supposed to be safe and controlled. Pledges need to be pressured-just pressured in the right way."

"A lot of activities are being changed. For example, TKE Dinner Theatre will be purely voluntary, and will involve brothers as well as pledges," Cupta said.