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Forbidden Colby secret societies no longer a secret; Dean departs

Here is the link and an excerpt

After a months long investigation, Dean of the College Karlene Burrell-McCrae emailed the Colby community on Thur., Aug. 15 to discuss the College’s findings regarding underground fraternity activity. In the message, Burrell-McCrae indicated that approximately four secret Greek organizations were identified through the investigation, and 21 students have been sanctioned based on their involvement within these groups.

“Fraternities and sororities were formally eliminated in the 1980s following a thorough and careful consideration of their history at Colby, the role they once played in social life and the role they played at the time, and the impact of single-sex, exclusionary groups on the College’s mission,” Burell-McCrae stated in her email to the student body, explaining that the presence of on and off campus Greek organizations, albeit secretive, has remained prevalent at Colby despite the groups’ technical extermination. “Over the last few years, President Greene, I, and many others have made clear our commitment to permanently eradicating underground fraternities and secret societies, and we have taken several steps toward that goal.”

The College hired private investigator Jonathan Goodman at the beginning of the Spring 2019 semester in order to shed light on the exclusive organizations. His report, which was included as an attachment to the email, ultimately uncovered the presence of four fraternities run by Colby students, three of which are now defunct.

In related news, a Colby dean has left her job.

By Hank Nuwer

Journalist Hank Nuwer tracks hazing deaths in fraternities and schools. Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024, the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division and Best Humorist, second place.

He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com and in his weekly column "Far from Randolph" in the Winchester Star-Gazette of Randolph County, Indiana.

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