Presybyterian College has had a death on campus at a fraternity house. I wanted to get a little better sense of the school’s history with regard to hazing. Dozens of articles have been published on death of Kyle Allen at a “farernity house” at PC. Not one article as of 6 a.m. today has mentioned the house’s name, a violation of the “WHERE” in basic journalism news stories for the 5 Ws and H. However, a Twitter feed says this:
»”PiKappaPhi_Beta Presby Pi Kappa Phi
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kyle Allen’s friends and family. Kyle was an interfraternal brother (Pi Kappa Alpha) at PC. RIP, Kyle.”
The chapter offered this rebuttal to charges of hazing and related offenses.
Dear Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni and Supporters,
As you know, we were recently convicted on several serious and equally bogus charges, including hazing. We appealed our conviction to the Dean of Student Life and were notified of his decision on Tuesday, December the 4th. We are pleased to announce that we have been CLEARED of all charges. The shirts were deemed to be a part of “healthy inter-fraternal competition”, and the hazing charges were found to be unsupported. We are grateful of the time and effort that the administration afforded us in an attempt to reach a fair and informed verdict. However, we were fined over $750 for accusations ranging from posting inappropriate material on our website (the official appeal letter), to allowing a photographer to enter our house. We find the penalties to be unfounded and inappropriate, however in the spirit of cooperation, we will not fight this issue any longer. It is time to move on and find some middle ground. There are some serious problems with the Greek system as a whole and we need to all work together in order to get them resolved. There is one very good thing that has come of this god-awful mess. The Dean has agreed to bring in some outside consultants, who specialize in structuring Greek programs around the country, in order to facilitate the necessary changes.
Overall, we have won this battle. For the most part, we are happy that the administration took the time to review this situation in an unbiased manner and reach a fair settlement. The purpose of this letter is to thank all of you who have supported and helped us through this difficult situation. We could not have weathered this storm without your help. Once again, these difficult times have proven that we belong to the best and most close-knit fraternity on campus. The relationship and bond that is formed between all brothers who pass through this house is evident. The current brothers know what you have done for us, and we cannot express how much we appreciate it. This chapter would not be what it is today without the guidance and leadership of those who came before. I hope we can continue to work together to ensure a bright and strong future for this chapter that we all care about so dearly.
I hear stories about alumni from other houses who feel disconnected from the new brothers. They walk into their houses and do not feel welcome. No one greets them or makes an attempt to welcome them home. This is a sad indication of a weakly bonded brotherhood and I hope this will never happen to Mu Chapter. Alumni are always welcome in this house. In my three and a half years here I have had the opportunity to meet many great men and share even more stories. Sometimes it sounds like things have never really changed around here, and I hope they never do. We hope everyone can make it back for Hawaiian party in the Spring or Homecoming next fall. We always look forward to your visits and hope to see you soon.
Again, we cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for us. We have shown that we can accomplish anything when we come together for a common cause. Hopefully, we can strengthen relations with the Administration and work to continue making positive changes to the system. Remember to check the website from time to time (www.pikemu.com) to keep up with current chapter information and see some great pictures. We hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas.
Sincerely,
The active brotherhood of Pi Kappa Alpha, Mu Chapter
RECENT ALLEGATIONS:
In an IFC trial on Tuesday, November 13th, the council looked at two issues concerning MU chapter. The first issue was “Conduct unbecoming a fraternity man” based on two recent t-shirt designs of the Pikas. The first t-shirt was a rush design, poking fun at fraternity stereotypes. The second shirt was a Toga shirt that represented this year’s party. On the night of the 2007 Pike Toga Party, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity decided to throw a caveman party on the same night, despite an administration decision to ban the party theme on the same night of Pike Toga. The shirt speaks for itself. IFC ruled against Pike and said that any brother, or non-brother, seen wearing either shirt will result in a $50 fine towards the fraternity. This includes the countless non-pikas that purchased t-shirts from our party. The 2 t-shirt designs in question are below:
