ATO Busted... again...

For the second time in a couple months the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at UNH has been busted. Shortly after receiving a 5 year ban they are in hot water again after 11 members were arrested for drug related charges that came from a search following an alleged sexual assault case. The house has also been ruled to unsafe to live in after fire violations, health code violations and life safety violations were found. Talk about a rough stretch for UNH fraternities, huh? This is way beyond double secret probation.

When I first came to UNH I heard about all the Greek life stereotypes, sayings or one liners. These aren't mine and I'm not saying they are true, but I learned them early and I'm sure most of you have heard them too. There was "A-Chi-Hoe," "Kattle Delta", "It always snows at ATO" and of course how Zeta was known for roofies. The articles I read only mentioned marijuana and prescription drugs (and others sent to labs to be tested) being found at ATO, so no word yet if "snow" was found.

I can't say this comes as a surprise at all, but hopefully this is the end of major busts at UNH. We don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to this sort of stuff and our Greek life system doesn't look to good right now. Believe it or not, but having a strong Greek life is important to big universities. For a lot of the crap we hear about, they do get a lot of fundraising and volunteer work done (not to undermine other student orgs that do those things without all the "extracurricular" activities.)

Stay classy, not UMassy.

Rumor Mill: TKE loses Recognition (confirmed)

(See updates at the bottom of this post.)

The other day one of my roommate's texted me "TKE lost recognition, you know anything?" At the time I didn't and I was busy and completely forgot about it. This evening I got another comment on a post again inquiring about TKE. So I went over to Twitter and posted a question asking if anyone had heard anything about this. Within a few minutes someone responded: "They did, someone stole a gun from their house and they had to report it. But then UNH found out they had weapons."

That is the only explanation I have heard so far; and in the mean time another friend texted me saying he heard the same thing. I guess that will do it, weapons on a college campus are always a scary thing especially in the post-Columbine and Virginia Tech era. I must admit, although they had a gun (and honestly it could have been a hunting rifle or shotgun, those seasons are just beginning) they did the right thing by reporting it to the police.

If you know anymore details, or if I'm completely wrong, please post your comments below.

Now I need to get back to studying watching the Red Sox.

Stay classy, not UMassy.

UPDATES:
I have heard from a few sources that 1 or 2 pounds of marijuana were found, as well as $2000 cash and the gun was also loaded. Read the comment section to see an explanation of their penalty from a current brother.

Unrecognized Greek Orgs hit below the belt

Adam McCready, the coordinator of Greek life at UNH, is at it again.  Please be aware that I am NOT apart of any Greek organization, but I do support them because a strong Greek system is essential for a university. Once again McCready has tried to trash on unrecognized fraternities and sororities by discouraging students from joining one. I kind of see where he is coming from, he only wants students to support UNH recognized organizations, but he is only making himself out to be a villain. I have said this before, but I think he should spend less of his time, and energy, keeping unrecognized frats unrecognized. He should be trying to help these unrecognized organizations regain their status. I believe the more variety the better. Competition is what makes things better. The following poster can be seen around campus buildings and dorms. (They were sent in by a reader so props for that!)

Earlier this year there was a big controversy when McCready referred to unrecognized fraternities, specifically Phi Kappa Theta, a fraternity which is still recognized by it's national headquarters, as  "social drinking groups." That quote angered brothers and supporters who claim they still host fundraising events like every other Greek organization. I always thought the head of Greek life was supposed to support and guide the organizations, not brush them under the rug. Yes, they are not recognized by the school and therefore he doesn't control them, but that also doesn't mean that he should make them look bad. A lot of those organizations on the poster do everything else that recognized organizations do and it still looks the same on a resume.  I think that UNH (McCready) and the IFC should support any Greek organization that is willing to do good in the community. A Greek advisor is not doing a good job if he lets recognized houses fall apart because he is too busy wasting his time with unrecognized houses. I'm not saying that fraternities shouldn't be punished, I think a few years probation is understandable. I don't think that current or future members should be punished for something that happened when they were in middle school. 

Stay classy, not UMassy.

PS: I've heard rumors that McCready was arrested a few years ago for supplying alcohol to his younger brother or he was at a party and he was 21 with minors or something like that. Anyone know if there is any truth to that?

TKE to lose recognition?

Word around dirty Durham is that the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity is in some major hot water. Do not quote me on anything but from what I have gathered a pledge (possibly a former pledge) informed Greek life coordinator Adam McCready about some hazing incidents. It is believed that TKE national representatives came to Durham to negotiate with McCready and that possible arrests are not out of the question. This raises the question of how many fraternities do haze (probably all of them) and what they actually do. Please realize that hazing is very general and UNH policy defines it as anything "that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate." The "humiliation" portion is key, because something as simple as making a pledge sing could be considered hazing. Although, if the losing recognition rumor is true, these hazing incidents must be pretty severe. 


Stay classy, not UMassy.

Like a Pro:The Positives of Fraternities

Once again, this week's column from TNH all linked up. Anything in parentheses was not in the newspaper version.

When students first arrive at UNH in the fall of their freshman year they are faced with the decision of going Greek. Many times students associate Greek life, especially fraternities, with the Delta Tau Chi fraternity from Animal House. (Which was actually based on a real fraternity from Dartmouth.) Students expect that Greek life revolves around throwing huge parties every weekend and skipping classes. I feel like these stereotypes and presumptions are only hurting the Greek society here at UNH. These problems seem to be connected more with fraternities rather than sororities. Students are not the only people who buy into these stereotypes, but also many parents. A few weeks ago a parent left this comment on The New Hampshire website: “I will openly admit I have discouraged my son from joining a fraternity. I have yet to see how the Greek community does anything consistently positive.”

What annoys me most about that quote is the second part about the Greek community not doing “anything consistently positive.” I want to let it be known that I am not involved in Greek life in any way, I just wish to show those organizations support. I have noticed how fraternities often make the news when there is an arrest on their property, but when they host a charity event it often goes unnoticed.

Let us examine a couple key stats that can be found on the Morehead State University website. According to this website former Greek students are the head of 43 out of the 50 largest corporations in America. Greek alumni also make up 85% of the Fortune 500 executives and 76% of U.S. Congressmen and Senators. Every U.S. President and Vice President, except two in each office, born since 1825 have been members of a fraternity. Greek students also have a higher graduation rate than non-Greeks and they raise over $7 million annually.

Those statistics do not lie. It appears as though fraternities consistently help students get secure jobs in future, which may be worth spending a few extra dollars during your college career. The most amazing part is that just a small fraction of college students decide to go Greek, yet these organizations still turn out alumni who basically run our country. Even if fraternities are known to host parties on weekends, these statistics show that they still prepare young men for their future. The social aspects of mutual respect and brotherhood obviously impact Greek students more then non-Greeks would expect. I strongly believe that what students learn outside of the classroom is equally important as course materials. It is the same as the old “book smart” verse “street smart” debate.

I also understand that certain stereotypes exist for a reason. Of course there are fraternity brothers who fit the mold of muscle heads who cannot think on their own (aka douchebags), but there are still non-Greeks who can be described the same way. There are also students who live in houses or apartments who throw more parties than fraternity houses, and without checking ID’s. Yes, the checking ID’s thing really doesn’t make a difference, but at least it is a small effort.

During my time at UNH I have been to parties at several different fraternities. I have had a lot of great experiences at these parties, but I have also been soon annoyed that I’ve left after just a few minutes. I have friends who range from current pledges to upperclassmen who are big brothers. They all love their respected fraternities, but they still become frustrated when they are categorized as “frat kids.” These stereotypes exist because of ignorant people who do not understand the deeper values that Greek life provides. For over a century fraternities have been preparing young men for the future and it is unfortunate that despite what they do, fraternities still receive a bad reputation.

The bottom line is that no matter how much community service or fundraisers fraternities accomplish, having a Greek membership on an application is a very positive attribute. Many students decide to go Greek simply for their future applications. This is why it is not fair to group every Greek student together as one collective body. We are all 18 for the most part, meaning that we are adults, isn’t it time for us to stop allowing misguided judgments rule our lives? I am not telling you to go out and join a fraternity or sorority, or even to make friends with Greek students, but give these students some respect because in the end they are just other students at UNH.

Stay classy, not UMassy.