In November of 2006 an SAE freshman pledge by the name of Tyler Cross died after drunkenly falling from his Tower's balcony. His blood and alcohol level was .19 when he died (more than twice the legal limit). Cross' autopsy also revealed bruises on his back and ass that were inconsistent with the fall from his balcony. Did I forget to mention that his death took place during SAE's notorious build week for their party of the year Jungle and that Cross was a bamboo pledge? Odd much?
Anyone reading this blog is pretty up to date with the events that take place in West Campus...so you kids do the math and I'm sure you can put two and two together to realize why the late freshman after returning to his dorm after a night at the fraternity, during it's"Hell week," was intoxicated and rushed to his balcony to throw up...only to fall to his death.
According to the police warrant one pledge informed investigators that pledges for the SAE fraternity were told two important rules "Don't talk about pledgeship" and "don't die."
Wow. Those rules make me feel warm and fuzzy.
Now that a year has passed the university and the SAE fraternity have reached an agreement to how SAE conducts its new member and initiation process and its social activities. Under the terms of the agreement SAE:
- Shall be a conditionally registered student organization in good standing for five years beginning April 7, 2008. If at the end of the five years the dean of students determines SAE has fulfilled the obligations under the agreement, SAE shall be granted unconditional registration as a student organization. A number of terms of the agreement related to structural change in SAE operations shall remain in effect permanently;
- Must strictly prohibit hazing. SAE shall take an active role in the development and delivery of training on the prohibition of hazing and on alcohol abuse. All members of SAE shall attend an annual educational program on hazing and alcohol awareness and abuse issues that is approved by the dean of students;
- Shall permanently bar from membership any member who engages in hazing;
- Shall suspend any member who provides alcohol to a minor or any member who fails to report hazing or provision of alcohol to a minor;
- Shall annually inform pledges and members of the terms of the agreement prior to the pledging period;
- Will limit its fall pledge period to eight weeks and include in its Pledge Education Program elements approved by the dean of students;
- Will initiate a required pledges study hall from Sunday through Thursday of each week during the pledging period;
- Shall provide its chapter adviser and the Dean of Students Office a written schedule of all SAE new member recruitment or rush activities;
- Shall assure that all pre- and post-party and event clean-ups and other housekeeping activities during the pledge period will involve all members of SAE, not just pledges;
- Shall employ a full-time resident assistant who will live in the SAE house and help chapter officers supervise the fraternity's activities;
- Is subject to "unannounced visits to the SAE house and its common areas" by the university police department, Austin Police, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission or the Dean of Students Office;
- Shall assure that alcohol served at any party or event must be dispensed by a third-party vendor, provider or caterer licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission;
- Must allow a representative of its Advisory Board, the chapter adviser or a resident assistant to monitor all new member or rush activities;
- Will eliminate any non-sanctioned parties or events.
The punishment will also include giving advance notice to the university and SAE alumni advisers of large parties among other things, limiting the attendance of guest at large parties to those named on a pre-party guest list, requiring the use of off-duty police officers to distribute tamper-proof wrist bands and to provide security, and limiting parties or events to Fridays and Saturday with an ending time of 2 a.m.
These 'new' rules seem like the university has really taken action except for the fact that everything that has been bolded was already suppose to be followed. As a member of the greek community myself, I am very aware of these rules and my greek affiliation follows them strictly--to the point it's annoying. SAE member's knew of these rules. Not only are they suppose to be reminded during their pledgeship, but as freshman every member of a greek organization is required to attend Greek101 which explains the seriousness of hazing. If frats weren't busy throwing pennies at each other and calling out "Phi-gays!" during the lectureship to establish which frat is superior--maybe they would have learned a thing or two.
But seriously, is anyone reading through the lines of bullshit being fed by the university and SAE? Tyler Cross' college career and LIFE were cut short because a handful of guys had a hard-on for their ego trips and "tradition."
I hope who ever the pledge trainers were for SAE during Fall 2006 were punished severely...like jail time severe. UT credit hours revoked severe. Something! People have been sentenced for less. AND lets be real--any guy who wants to be a pledge trainer is usually a huge dbag and trying to make up for other departments that are severely lacking. I remember freshman year one pledge trainer had a huge issue with feeling me up at any party I attended at a particular frat. Every time I threatened his life he would run off without saying a word. Later I learned he had a lisp problem which included a story with the tag line "Come on baby, thuck it"-- like I said, pledge trainers are the shiniest of all tools.
So congratulations UT for showing the greeks who's boss, I'm sure the slap of the wrist you gave the frat really left a sting. I'm also sure the SAE alumni who donate large amounts of dough to the school didn't sway your decision at ALL in this disciplinary decision either.
Rest in peace Tyler Cross.
8 comments:
A BAC of 0.19 is more than twice the legal limit for an OVERAGE person DRIVING. Assuming that as a freshman he was underage, all of the alcohol in Tyler Cross' system was illegal.
That is both ridiculous and very, very sad. I agree with you and my condolences go out to his family.
The author of this piece comes off as bitter, likely due to a bad experience in the greek system, which again is probably due to rushing a lower tier house and receiving no respect from anyone on campus.
The school, SAE, APD, and TABC have come to an agreement that from the looks of it is a huge victory for those seeking to 'modernize' or pacify the greek system. Rants like this do nothing but generate more animosity between greeks and non-greeks on campus.
are you SERIOUS? Obviously she has no issues with the Greek system; she openly flaunts it in every (other) entry and
I think the issue she might be upset it about is a pledge dying because of hazing incidents. I also (as a Greek in an "upper tier" - how lame, you must be in the "upper tier" too! I bet we party together) think the situation was quite a mess and needs a further punishment than restating rules that previously existed. Obviously hazing has been a tradition in SAE, and fraternity life, but they have not found a healthy balance between brotherhood and just harming their members.
I am very glad SAE did not lose its charter or its place on UT's campus; that would be a very sad day for Greek life in general. I do think that UT is really strict on Greek life for a few things that don't matter, but this is one time they had every right to make a statement and didn't.
You miss the point.
Earlier this year a UT hellraiser suffered a similar fate when falling from a balcony at a party. He was underage as well, and was provided alcohol, yet you don't hear calls for that student group to be disbanded. There are people out there, both students and administrators who wanted to crucify SAE for this. I'm glad the university didn't give them the chance. It wouldn't have solved anything. If the city really did have a strong legal case against SAE I'm betting they would have pursued it, but as things sound through the grapevine, they didn't.
If this were the first time the fraternity had come under scrutiny than the action the university took would have been acceptable.
If you read the article that was included in the blog the fraternity was already on probation for prior hazing when Tyler Cross died:
"The agreement notes that SAE, "while still on probation for a prior violation of the university's hazing rules, engaged in hazing and use of alcohol by minors during the pledging process.""
Also, this is the same fraternity whose house, in the middle of West Campus, burned down during one of their Christmas formals a few years back. Shockingly no one was injured but their carelessness had the potential to have been extremely devastating:
"The fire started in the basement at about 5:30 a.m. when an improperly discarded "smoking material" spread through the house's common living area, which was covered with 18 inches of confetti from a Christmas party the night before, said Carmen Maguire, public information officer for the Austin Fire Department."
SAE has been given many chances and they clearly disregard them.
I had a hard time reading the previous post regarding the downfalls of rushing a "lower tier" organization. Perhaps my browser is messing up or perhaps i don't speak snobby-bitch, the native tongue of many greeks on campus. I hope this person is aware that no one on campus gives a flying crap bucket what organization he/she's in, and when he/she graduates no one but his/her mom (maybe not even her) will give a flying crap bucket what tier or class or level of greek organization he/she perceived themselves to be in. "You don't understand, I party with ________ (rich frat)." No, no we understand, we just don't care, and I would also discourage you from putting that on your resume. What happened to this young fraternity member is very tragic and if I were his sister or mother or friend, it would definitely be hard to not come off as bitter at the lack of disciplinary action on the fraternity (though his family's grief is probably just due to rushing a lower tier greek organization in college.) I have nothing against SAE, but I believe that ANY organization involved in the loss of a member's life, should be punished.
I had a hard time reading the previous post regarding the downfalls of rushing a "lower tier" organization. Perhaps my browser is messing up or perhaps i don't speak snobby-bitch, the native tongue of many greeks on campus. I hope this person is aware that no one on campus gives a flying crap bucket what organization he/she's in, and when he/she graduates no one but his/her mom (maybe not even her) will give a flying crap bucket what tier or class or level of greek organization he/she perceived themselves to be in. "You don't understand, I party with ________ (rich frat)." No, no we understand, we just don't care, and I would also discourage you from putting that on your resume. What happened to this young fraternity member is very tragic and if I were his sister or mother or friend, it would definitely be hard to not come off as bitter at the lack of disciplinary action on the fraternity (though his family's grief is probably just due to rushing a lower tier greek organization in college.) I have nothing against SAE, but I believe that ANY organization involved in the loss of a member's life, should be punished.
wow, "lower tier." You sound like a class-act and make all greeks (myself included) look like complete bitches. I'm going to have to agree that no one really gives a shit where you belong, except for maybe you...
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