In response to last semester’s hazing incident, ETSU fraternities and sororities are joining forces to offer a hazing education workshop to athletic teams, campus Greek and non-Greek organizations and the community.The Sigma Epsilon Fraternity Chapter at ETSU was found to have hazed their pledges last semester.

As a result, the fraternity has been suspended until Fall 2003.

The incident of hazing occurred on Sunday, November 25, 2001. According to Dr. Steve Bader, senior associate vice president for student affairs, the pledges were told to perform a skit after dinner that night.

When the fraternity members were not satisfied with the skit, they made the pledges “wallow around in trash and then pick it up. Afterwards, the pledges were locked in a room and harassed throughout the night,” he said.

The next morning, three pledges filed charges with the Center for Student Life and Leadership (SLL) concerning the hazing.

After a thorough investigation, the fraternity was charged, and it plead guilty to hazing by ETSU.

No appeal has been filed.

While the individual members involved were also tried, their names and sentences have not been released due to confidentiality issues.

According to Dr. Debbie White, assistant vice president for student life and leadership, after the charges were filed, the fraternity cooperated fully with university officials.

“There is a strong commitment from the national fraternity to cooperate with the university,” Bader said.

The three students who were hazed withdrew from the university. Their names are not being released due to confidentiality issues.

In addition to suspension, the chapter also has to reimburse the university for the lost tuition and fees from the students.

Also once they become active again in Fall 2003, they will be on probation for two more years.

“Should they be found violating university policy in that two years, they will be subject to permanent expulsion,” Bader said. “They’re also going to have to submit to me a written plan for recruitment and initiation.”

Having resolved the issue with Sigma Phi Epsilon, ETSU officials are now taking steps to try to prevent future hazing incidents.

A workshop addressing the issue will be held in the Culp Center’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium Tuesday night,

Feb. 5, from 7-8:30 p.m.

A panel will give participants an overview of state law and the hazing policies of ETSU and its governing board, the Tennessee Board of Regents.

White said, “In the spring and fall (we will) offer a workshop on what hazing is and the policies concerning it.

Kristin Chamberlin-Long, an area coordinator with the Office of Housing and Resident Life, will also participate in the program, which she said will revolve around scenarios and feedback from students and the panel of experts.

“We have a panel of people from the university and the community, and we are going to look at several different scenarios to explain hazing,” she said.

Members of the panel will include Ken Bailey, a local attorney and Sigma Chi alumni; Rhonda Bishop, an Alpha Delta Pi national officer, Gary Petiprin, director of the Counseling Center; Michelle Treece, a teacher at Science Hill; and Bader.

Jenny Peterson, president of Alpha Delta Pi’s ETSU Chapter, is coordinating the program.

For more information about the workshop, call Peterson at 434-9024 or Chamberlin-Long at 433-2336.

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