University Of Nebraska Uses Logic, Gives Troubled Fraternities Second Chance

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Universities these days are too quick to judge, especially when it comes to fraternities. Trying to convince your school’s Greek life office that you aren’t a house full of demon spawn is about as futile a task as trying to tell time in a casino, betting on Sergio to win a major, or being a well-respected hibachi chef at a Japanese steakhouse if you’re white. I can’t even imagine how disheartening it must be to look up after a perfectly executed onion volcano to faces full of pity grins and apathetic applause. Tragic. Nobody wants a hibachi honkey. That’s just the way of the world.

In a world full of terribly-officiated Greek life offices, the University of Nebraska may be paving the way for a future that’s just a little less unfair to us. And honestly, I’d take that at this point.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has suspended three fraternities in the last year and a half.

Since their suspensions, Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Nu and FarmHouse were all given a set of expectations to fulfill, which were specific to each fraternity, in order to be reinstated as a recognized organization on campus after a period of suspension.

“The responsibility lies with the members of each fraternity and what they want to do to keep the chapter alive and move forward,” said director of Greek Affairs Linda Schwartzkopf.

The university is working with chapters that they deem troubled by suspending them until they’re back on the straight-and-narrow instead of just blindly cutting ties altogether. I like it. Gives you and the fratsquad another chance. That is, unless, they’re still suspending fraternities for stupid things in the first place.

In July, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity was given a two-year suspension after a several month-long investigation found that the fraternity was consuming alcohol in the house and at off-campus parties where minors were present.

A “several month-long investigation?” Did it really take that long for you to realize this was going down? Sounds like you really had your best men on the case. Maybe a mole or two in the ATO pledge class. While it sucks for ATO, the university kinda had their hands tied on this one. A suspension is the least they could do. Fraternities have been kicked off for less.

Sigma Nu was suspended indefinitely in spring 2014 after an investigation found the chapter had allegedly violated 62 fire codes.

You’re really gonna get after a group of college kids for not knowing the fire code manual cover-to-cover? I mean, yeah we have a guy in our chapter, the risk manager, whose job it is – it’s literally a paid job in some chapters – to take care of matters like this, but he’s usually too busy being a risk to manage them. On a related note, if your risk manager isn’t the biggest risk in your house who was elected ironically, you need to impeach your goody-two-shoes risk man stat.

I guess Nebraska kinda had to do something in the Sig Nu case too, but a warning probably would have sufficed. I’m going to need a pretty good example of a fraternity that actually deserved to be kicked off that Nebraska then saved from certain death by way of suspension to get me on their side.

On Oct. 23, 2014, University of Nebraska-Lincoln suspended FarmHouse fraternity indefinitely after a freshman-oriented party lead to the death of freshman Clayton Real.

Oh. Shit.

A kid literally died from alcohol poisoning at a FarmHouse party. It’s pretty unbelievable to me that the university didn’t just give them the big ol’ boot. “They killed one of their guests” is enough to get any fraternity banned from a university for life, and even enough to get chapter executives sent to jail (which actually happened in this case). It was a bold strategy for Nebraska to just put FarmHouse on suspension, one that easily could’ve given them some bad press. But they were dedicated to righting the wrong instead of vanquishing the fraternity to the fiery depths of charter revocation.

Let’s see how it played out.

“FarmHouse has done everything we have asked them to do, so the university is going to be recognizing them as an organization starting in the fall, but they will still need to go before the (Interfraternity Council),” Franco said.

While FarmHouse will be reinstated as an organization on campus, it will continue to be on probation for the next two years.

FarmHouse is the only fraternity of the three to be reinstated as a recognized group at the university.

You mean to tell me that fraternity members aren’t bumbling morons who can’t learn from their mistakes and are actually capable of bettering themselves?! Wow, it’s like fraternities were created for that exact purpose or something!

It’s refreshing to see a new take on fraternity discipline. In the end, though, the age-old fraternity adage still rings true:

“Just don’t get caught.”

[via The Daily Nebraskan]

Image via The Daily Nebraskan

  1. StaIIionDaMan

    What the hell is a FarmHouse. Get out of here with that geed shit. Pike rush countdown is on, I am going to be the world’s biggest FRAT STAR. Yeah, son. Get it. Get it.

    10 years ago at 12:10 pm
    1. Bluto_Brotarsky

      It’s a social fraternity with an emphasis on agriculture. Motion to blackball.

      10 years ago at 12:17 pm
      1. Fratty McFratFrat

        Don’t blackball him. This guy is funny as heck. It’s a spot-on parody of a HS frat star. Just go with the joke.

        10 years ago at 1:02 pm
      2. StaIIionDaMan

        Not quite as tiresome as your feverish thirst for commenting multiple times on EVERY single article posted on this site.

        10 years ago at 1:24 pm
      3. Fratty McFratFrat

        Oh yeah like the rest of us are making highly intelligent, deeply insightful comments. Relax and grab some poon before StallionDaMan gets it all!

        10 years ago at 5:30 pm
  2. UMaverick

    Hopefully more schools will follow suit, but I’m sure they won’t. At least we’re actually getting fraternity news on this site again.

    10 years ago at 12:18 pm
  3. djBillClinton

    It’s nice to see a college administration in the news that isn’t out to destroy Greek life altogether. Farmhouse would have gotten FAR worse repercussions at my university.

    10 years ago at 12:25 pm
  4. Only4.99

    FH killed a kid and is able to come back less than a year later? That blows my mind.

    10 years ago at 12:28 pm
    1. ScoochMcGooch

      Yeah, I’m having a tough time celebrating here. Individuals were prosecuted, the whole suspended, probation ongoing – which is good. But this guy’s unfortunate death was just tossed out there.

      10 years ago at 12:57 pm
    2. WillieCrump

      Kinda seems like the serious violations (e.g. a guest dying) should be seriously punished so that lesser violations of this or that code (e.g. the fire code) don’t receive disproportionately harsh punishments as an over-correction.

      10 years ago at 1:04 pm
      1. ScoochMcGooch

        I did and ultimately always knew he drank under his own free will, especially because he was identified as “guest.” My mixed feelings stem from two issues: 1) the lack of sharing his story in this article. 2) the delighting in fair treatment juxtaposed with a backdrop of death.

        10 years ago at 10:02 pm
      2. Jdub

        I agree, it was a terrible moment in time that took place, hopefully we can use it to learn though. People on both sides can learn to always keep an eye on your friends and if they’re getting drunk too fast ask them if they have any medical issues before its too late. And people with the medical conditions can go about finding their boundaries in a safer less rushed away, if you have diabetes for example keep insulin on hand and ease your way into it.

        10 years ago at 10:52 am
  5. Colonel Kilgore

    Anyone else feel like killing a kid deserves a harsher punishment than “serving alcohol to minors” and “fire code violations?” I’m not trying to diminish the overall goodness of the story, I’m just a tad surprised SN and ATO are getting a level of punishment equal to a house that actually killed someone.

    10 years ago at 12:36 pm
    1. Jared Borislow

      The system isn’t perfect. Or great. Or good, even. It’s pretty much barely a system at all.

      10 years ago at 12:45 pm
    2. Frat Master Flex

      ATO has been a problem house at Nebraska for a long time now. They are constantly on and off of probation for various reasons. Sigma Nu’s house was deemed unsafe by the fire inspector and condemned for many reasons beside fire code violations. FarmHouse’s didn’t receive a harsher punishment because of their impeccable track record and reputation on campus. Thankfully the university didn’t unjustly punish the entire chapter for the actions of a few.

      It also helps that this incident didn’t make national news like the almost identical incident at West Virginia that happened around the same time.

      10 years ago at 1:34 pm
  6. Creamery

    Really refreshing to read more than one article on Fraternity/Greek life in a week on this site, let alone before lunch on Monday.

    My biggest problem with these Greek Life offices, is the lack of consistency. The punishments never fit the offenses and there is no accountability on their parts. It’s worse than the NFL. At least the NFL can get sued with a lot more pressure to side with the players (generally). If a fraternity or sorority is given the axe, you feel powerless beneath the societal pressure to eliminate Greek Life altogether.

    10 years ago at 12:37 pm
    1. The Dukes

      With 30-something chapters all over the country and many in the SEC, why wouldn’t you?

      10 years ago at 5:04 pm
  7. Gun_Slinger

    Nebraska’s president was raised in South Mississippi on a family farm and he served in the National Guard. Republican Governor Haley Barbour also appointed him to a few boards when he was in Mississippi.

    Just sayin….

    10 years ago at 12:59 pm
  8. Todd_Cockburn

    The story they leave out is Sigma Chi at Nebraska hiring strippers to use dildos on pledges six years ago. They are back as well.

    10 years ago at 1:04 pm