Daily Egyptian Spring 05
Hazing accusees claim racial discrimination
Monique Garcia
Andrea Zimmermann
The 10 students facing academic suspension after allegations of hazing last fall claim they are being treated unfairly by the Student Judicial Affairs because they are black, and one of the accusers says the punishments are too harsh. Five members of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and five prospective members are accused of paddling, punching, pushing and threatening two prospective members as part of a potential review process to be inducted into the predominately black sorority.
One of the accusers, Dominique Winston, says the hazing did occur but she thinks the punishment is inappropriate. Fellow accuser Chantal Conley refused to comment. "I don't think anybody should get suspended or expelled," Winston said. "The punishment was too severe."
Winston said she did not know what an appropriate punishment would be. Former President Nakia Collins, who faces a three year suspension, said the punishment administrators handed to a predominately white Pi Kappa Alpha, which was banned from campus last spring after pledge Brent Johnson drowned during a fraternity-sponsored camping trip, was mild in comparison to the punishment being handed down in this incident.
"I hate to compare this to the Pikes," Collins said. "Because that was a horrible, horrible situation, but someone died and the only thing that happened was the fraternity was banned. To my understanding, it didn't go through judicial affairs, and no one's academic career was disrupted by what happened." Judicial Affairs coordinator Terry Huffman refuses to comment to the DAILY EGYPTIAN.
Katie Sermersheim, director of Student Development, the University organization that suspended the fraternity, said comparing the two incidents is like comparing apples and oranges.
Last spring, the University found the fraternity guilty of eight counts of misconduct, four of which involved alcohol but none for hazing. The fraternity pleaded guilty to one of the charges. After administrators closed their investigation, the state's attorney's office found a fraternity member guilty for supplying alcohol to minors and fined him $200. Neither the fraternity nor its members had any other legal repercussions.
Sermersheim said the difference between this case and the fraternity's case is that hazing did not directly result in Johnson's death, and while hazing was revealed in the investigation, the severity differed greatly. In the Pi Kappa Alpha case, the hazing was in regards to a scavenger hunt. Sermersheim said paddling, in general, is more severe.
According to police reports obtained by one of the accused, Conley and Winston allege that between Oct. 3 and 6, they were paddled, punched, pushed and threatened as part of a potential review process to be inducted into the sorority.
In the report, Conley said the two dropped out because of the abuse and a week later contacted Mu Eta Zeta, the graduate chapter of the sorority, which conducted an internal affairs investigation into the matter. The graduate chapter found no reason to believe hazing occurred, at which time undergraduate members say they were told Conley and Winston would be offered membership in an effort to minimize the situation. Both are now official members, but Winston says she was not made a member to prevent controversy.
After going to SIUC Police on Nov. 2, Conley and Winston opted to not press criminal charges but decided to forward the matter to the University's Student Judicial Affairs office in January. Both women declined to comment about the allegations. In addition to denying that hazing ever occurred, the accused members say the cases against them are riddled with inconsistencies in regards to the conduct code, specifically the statute of limitations and jurisdiction.
"It's like there is a student conduct code for whites and a student conduct code for blacks," Collins said. "It doesn't make sense; they aren't following their own rules."
Conley said in the police reports that the hazing occurred at an inactive member's house. The accused say the sorority was not undergoing the formal intake process but was in an observational period to examine prospects. According to the student conduct code, if the incident occurs off campus, the University has jurisdiction in the following cases: when events are sponsored by recognized student organizations or when students represent the University. Additionally, jurisdiction applies to off-campus housing if zoned by the city as a greek organization and displaying its name or letters. Students can also be held responsible for conduct when in academic-related settings off campus or conduct that "substantially interferes with the mission of the University, but not limited to the educational pursuits of its students, faculty or staff." The last of 10 hearings ended last week, with six women given one-year suspensions and four women, including the former president and current vice president facing three-year suspensions. Three other members had hearings and were cleared of all charges.
The women facing three-year suspensions are Ryan Robinson, Monet Williams and current vice president Teqeira Johnson. Latrice Body is the only member who has been handed a one-year suspension. The prospective members facing one-year suspensions are Krystal Adams, Kimberly Patterson, Jamila Jones, Tashauna Waters and Nakia Moore.
All of the accused have either entered their requests for appeal or said they plan to do so. They have also contacted the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the NAACP, but both will wait until the appeals are over.
Last update: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 1:54:40 PM
Copyright 2009 Daily Egyptian Spring 05