SAE hazes black pledge to death / UT frat codifies racism

[Panich52]

Daily Kos

Frat that declared 'there will never be a n*gg*r in SAE' hazed black student to death

Four years ago Cornell University closed down their chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Many members of the fraternity left the school altogether. They had just killed a man.
George Desdunes, an aspiring doctor, was a 19-year-old sophomore from Brooklyn, New York, and the son of Haitian immigrants. His hands and feet were tied with duct tape and zip ties. Blindfolded, he was given so much alcohol that he died within a few hours of the hazing. All alone and completely unconscious, he was found dead by a college cleaning crew the following morning. His mother filed a $25 million wrongful death suit in the case.

On its own merit, the hazing death of George Desdunes is tragic, but when viewed in light of recent racism that has been exposed within the SAE fraternity, one has to wonder if George Desdunes was treated any differently because he was black. When a popular fraternity chant song has violent lines about lynching black men, everything should be on the table.

More
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/10/1369823/-Frat-which-declared-they-ll-never-be-a-nigg-r-in-SAE-recently-killed-hazed-black-pledgee-to-death?detail=email


University Of Texas frat bans Mexicans, interracial dating, and 'fagetry'

It appears that the University of Oklahoma fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, isn't the only fraternity with issues. UT Austin's Phi Gamma Delta (known as Fiji) has some very offensive rules that have given it some (deserved) bad publicity. Some of those rules include no Mexicans, no interracial dating, and no 'fagetry'.

More
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/10/1369881/-University-Of-Texas-Frat-Bans-Mexicans-Interracial-Dating-And-Fagetry?detail=email

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Note - I'm a Group Host of the AA Group

So - I'm sympathetic to the post.

While this is horrible - I'm not sure I see the connection the Daily Kos writer is trying to make?

The Cornell Case - was it race related or hazing related? It appears to be simple hazing that got that young man killed.

The Texas case - they didn't kill anyone - but the two that got 'caught' are going to be ostracized unless they stay to the same inner circle for the rest of their lives. I look at people young enough to be a child of mine - and I see that while racial prejudice and bigotry exists - they have 'less'. And they don't tolerate shit unless they are one. And more are not - than are. I wouldn't want to be these two and have this follow me in a world run by social media for the rest of my life.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. I think that's the very question being asked.

As you note, 'it appears to be simple hazing', but now the question becomes, does SAE have multiple chapters that engage in racist behaviours? IS there a connection? Was the hazing death because a black pledge was given more alcohol than his white counterparts? Was he treated differently? Is it part of a more widespread problem than just 'two isolated incidents'?

[JustAnotherGen]

3. And another question

Why don't these things happen in traditionally black sororities and fraternities?

I'm not aware of any well publicized cases.

[tosh]

4. Not a fraternity, but...

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/recounting-the-deadly-hazing-that-destroyed-famu-bands-reputation/1260765

If you have time to read the story linked, the band had quite a history.

So sad.

[jeff47]

5. Different goals.

(I've never been interested in frat life, so I may be off on this. But from the outside....)

Traditionally black sororities and fraternities seem to be most interested in helping their members succeed, wherever they came from.

Traditionally white sororities and fraternities seem to be most interested in partying and maintaining class privilege. With that class privilege bleeding into race privilege in some organizations.

[JustAnotherGen]

7. You nailed it

Having many family members and friends in the trad. black. Greek system - you pretty much nailed their purpose. And if you are a legacy and at a school that does not support the Greek system at all - they bring you in via another chapter. It's about making sure the networking continues.

[TBF]

11. They do actually -

there's been discussion in the press about the physical hazing at black fraternities: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/the-hazing-problem-at-black-fraternities/284452/

There are far fewer folks in the black and Jewish houses - and sometimes they don't even have actual "houses" on campus. Fraternities like Sig Eps and Fijis go way back. They are groups that were founded in the 1800s and have wealthy donors. Some of the houses are the size of mansions. It's a whole different level of privilege, but that doesn't mean that there aren't problems in the newer organizations.

The whole system sort of sucks afaic. My own experiences are from the 80s so a bit dated but I can tell you I was not impressed. I did pledge and join a house with one of my friends, but went inactive while still in college (one of the older traditional sororities). I just didn't like the people very much and preferred other friends who weren't part of the Greek system.

[JustAnotherGen]

12. Noted - my father was a

Graduate of Tuskeegee -

His brothers and my grandfather Morehouse.

My female cousins either went to Spelman or Howard.

The true legacy schools in my family are More and Spel.

So I'm pretty familiar with it - even though I 'bucked' the status quo and went to Niagara - on the border -where the drinking age was 19 - and Playboy named it a top party school back in the day!

[TBF]

13. Fine schools -

Wisconsin had a bit of it's own reputation (that is where I went) ... but thankfully by senior year I was partied out and ready to settle down for grad school.

I'm glad people are starting to talk about this stuff. Maybe it will help transform the houses to what they should be - places for kids to find friends and make a home while on campus, and then networking down the line. That shouldn't have to include fear/bigotry/hazing etc.

[Panich52]

8. The 2 articles were by different authors. Together, they point to poss institutional racism in frats

Since 2000, Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapters have been cited for egregious racism at Clemson, Washington University, Oglethorpe, Baylor, Valdosta State, and more.

The above is another exerpt from 1st article. Racism seems to be endemic in SAE. And their racist chant seems borrowed from another chapter:

...required chant to enter the SAE fraternity at the University of Texas. Before this controversy at the University of Oklahoma ever existed...

(from DU post 3/10/15: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026342633 )

It is unclear whether the Cornell hazing death was racially motivated. That may become clear during discovery for the multi-million dollar lawsuit. Maybe I should have investigated that further before putting the articles together. But frat excesses seem to have no bounds these days. An aggregate assemblage of their transgressions is overdue.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. I think we should wait and see what comes out of the Cornell Case

I'm not saying this Frat is good- they have a history of shameful behavior. Kind of give side eyes to people who have to 'buy' thier friends if you catch my drift.

However - I don't know that this is something I can hyper focus on in general.

I'm too gob smacked by what we are seeing in Ferguson and how that can really impact my nephews day to day lives. I think like most black Americans - I'm more focused on what is the daily "ho hum" than the things like this.


Is it horrible? Yep.

As horrible as a continuous onslaught of racism inflicted on an entire black population of a community for years and years? I don't know. But the fact that I would refer to the Ferguson Justice system as 'ho hum everyday' kind of says what I think about America in general and how it treats young black men.

Now on the personal - I don't see my nephews ever having to be around these SAE people. One is graduating in two months and one is a Freshman at a HCBU. I'm more worried about them getting shot by a cop who just thinks it would be fun - than some kid who ruined his own life with his filthy mouth and got kicked out of a school.

[jwirr]

6. We called them zoos in the 70s - this kind of stuff was why. Arrogant rich kids who think the whole

world owes them something.

[KamaAina]

10. Why on Earth would a black student pledge SAE?

[JustAnotherGen]

14. Because he was at Cornell?

I dunno Kama - but you crack me up! I'll start watching the Cornell case - as from visiting friends there in the early 1990's I didn't get the vibe that blatant racial prejudice was tolerated by the student body.

Sometimes the student body sets the course. I can't believe that Cornell would have regressed to the 1960's in this century.