I have been following the Pi Kappa Phi story closely, and I must say that some of the response to it so far has been rather interesting.

First, some people have been saying the fraternity’s right to free speech was infringed. But there is a difference between expressing an opinion and being derogatory - and the pink T-shirts clearly fall into the latter category. Free speech does not mean we can use whatever words and sentences we want; one obvious example would be the crime of fraud.

Second, some consider fraternity members to be victims because of the punishments handed down so far. But every single member chose to join an organization that has certain standards of conduct imposed by greek life locally and the Pi Kappa Phi national organization. If certain members violate these standards, it is reasonable to expect consequences. I find it very hard to have any sympathy for them when their own national organization is currently considering punishing the local chapter.

Finally, the amount of coverage of the actions of these individuals is especially interesting considering that the actions themselves are not at all unusual. Individuals commit immature homophobic acts on campus all the time, yet it’s rare to hear anything about them.

Perhaps what’s so newsworthy about this incident is that someone is actually getting punished for harassment.

Joshua Boehme
mathematics and
computer science junior