NEWS

REPORT: SU's Phi Beta Sigma abused, paddled recruits

Phil Davis
pdavis3@dmg.gannett.com
A Greek Life Welcomes you sign on the front of the Scarborough Student Leadership Center at Salisbury University.

Phi Beta Sigma was kicked off Salisbury University's campus for "physical abuse," "forced drinking" and "acts of coercion," according to a report by a university board investigating anonymous complaints against the fraternity.

The university's Community Hearing Board found the fraternity and its members were in violation of the university's code of conduct relating to the recruitment of new members beginning in September 2014. The board found the fraternity had engaged in a number of hazing activities, including "paddling, drinking, severe verbal abuse, acts of coercion and physical acts direct against the Fraternity Recruits."

On March 31, the university announced it would suspend the fraternity until the Spring 2017 semester because of an undisclosed hazing incident involving students.

Through Freedom of Information Act requests filed by The Daily Times, documents of the university's investigation into complaints filed against the fraternity show the suspension was for allegations of paddling potential new members, forcing them to drink and giving false information to police when the college began its investigation.

In the February ruling, which was upheld after the fraternity appealed the suspension the next month, the board states the following:

• " ... the Community Board finds that it is more likely than not that the Fraternity Recruits felt considerable pressure and coercion to follow all instructions of the then current Fraternity members' behavior. The Community Board finds that this behavior includes forced paddlings, forced drinking, etc., to become a member in good standing with the national and local fraternity."

• "Fraternity Recruits were physically struck by members ... of the fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. This physical abuse involved the use of a wooden paddle."

• "Fraternity Recruits were forced to drink a substance. While the Community Board was never clearly advised what was in the substance that the Fraternity Recruits were forced to drink, it is clear that the Fraternity Recruits were directed to drink the substance." It goes on to say that only two of the five recruits required to drink by the fraternity during this process were 21 years old or older.

Many of these findings were based on group messages sent between fraternity members, the report states, adding that all of the fraternity members at the time "were present at most, if not all incidents, involving hazing activities."

The report goes on to say those group messages, sent through the application Group Me, detail how members of the fraternity wrote figuratively about "butts exploding" and "butts being on fire" when speaking of the paddling incidents.

The documents obtained by The Daily Times outline the process by which the fraternity was suspended off campus, something university officials initially did not comment on when they first announced the suspension.

In a letter to the fraternity, Coordinator of Student Life Sara Lowery wrote to the fraternity on Nov. 10, 2014: "Officials at Salisbury University have received a number of anonymous complaints since Oct. 5, 2014, regarding the campus chapter and reports of alleged hazing."

The board hearing further illuminates the allegations date back to when the fraternity chapter began recruiting students to join its group "beginning on or about September 28, 2014."

The fraternity was told Nov. 10, 2014, they must suspend all activities on campus until the investigation by police was completed. The national chapter of the fraternity also launched its own investigation into the local chapter, documents show.

Calls to the national chapter's headquarters in Washington, D.C., were met with a no comment, with spokesman Christopher Fleming citing "pending legal matters."

The community board authored its review of the case Feb. 12 and, among the charges of physical and verbal abuse, also said members of the fraternity intentionally misled police during their investigation.

"During the course of the hearing and during the investigation, there were multiple occasions where members spoke of not wanting to be a snitch," the board wrote, adding that testimony from Salisbury University police corroborated the fact "that the Fraternity members knowingly gave false information during the course of the investigation and/or actively withheld information ... and attempted to cover up what had occurred."

The university had stepped up efforts to curb hazing, with both the TKE and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities having their Salisbury University chapters suspended since 2010 amid accusations of hazing. New fraternity members are now required to watch a movie that discourages hazing and receive literature meant to discourage the practice.

The fraternity wrote a letter to appeal the suspension, saying it was heavily involved in community service and a suspension may threaten the livelihood of a fraternity without a large population.

" ... our fraternity ended off in Fall 1995 with the last four members graduating in which it took 17 years (Spring 2012) to come back on campus," the letter reads.

"We are sure with this suspension our fraternity may cease to exist for many years after because of this," it continued.

The fraternity also calls into question the length of the penalty, saying "every single person accused will have graduated" within the next two semesters.

"The fraternity as a whole cannot answer many questions regarding hazing, but we understand Salisbury University has to take action and we understand there has to be a penalty. We just ask for understanding as an organization that wants to prosper and represent Salisbury in a great light," the fraternity wrote.

A letter written by the Office of Student Affairs to the fraternity on March 4, 2015, said the university had upheld the suspension, adding the organization's community service would not be weighed in the university's decision.

"The primary information provided in the appeal is a description of the positive work that the Fraternity has done within SU and the Salisbury community," wrote Valierie Randall-Lee, assistant vice president of Student Affairs. "This is not an issue in this case."

"What is in issue is if the Fraternity was involved in violations of hazing," she continued. "No new and/or significant information was provided in the appeal by the Fraternity that would change the outcome of the Board Decision or is information that is relevant to the conduct violations for which the Fraternity was found responsible."

The suspension is outlined in the appeal denial as starting March 5, 2015, and ending May 31, 2017, on which the organization's involvement with the university can be reviewed and potentially reinstated with a probationary status for the Fall 2017 semester.

Calls to both high-ranking members in the fraternity as well as newer members were also not returned.

pdavis@dmg.gannett.com

410-877-4221