Students had mixed reactions to sanctions given to an MSU fraternity a day after the chapter was disciplined for mocking gay men.
Pi Kappa Phi received temporary suspension Wednesday after some of its pledges wore pink, sleeveless T-shirts to the Mason and Abbot halls cafeterias on April 1 and April 2 that had phrases such as “I like little boys,” “Capt. Gay Sex” and “Fag Hairstylist” written on the back.
The MSU chapter’s national fraternity is investigating alleged violations of its national anti-hazing and anti-discrimination policies. It did hand down suspensions Wednesday, though, saying members have to stop participation in all fraternal activities until the investigation is complete.
Pi Kappa Phi members at MSU had no comment Thursday.
In addition, the fraternity was found responsible - by an MSU greek panel of three fraternity presidents and two sorority presidents - for violating the hazing section of the Greek Risk Management Policy and the anti-discrimination portion in the Interfraternity Council’s bylaws.
Jacob Hoffman, president and founder of Brody Residents In Great Harmony Together, or BRIGHT, was in the cafeteria when the incident occurred.
“I’m not in a fraternity, but I can imagine as a gay man how it would feel being on the inside of that,” the general management senior said. “I’m pleased that they have handled this very quickly, openly and seriously. This is not something that can be tossed under the rug.”
Jason Pociask, president of Delta Chi, said he’s worried that Pi Kappa Phi’s actions will be blown out of proportion and that the rulings against the individual fraternity may affect the rest of the greek community.
“It’s unfortunate that a chapter chose to put itself in such a negative spotlight when the MSU greek community suffers from a lack of positive publicity in the first place,” he said. “Our chapter doesn’t condone actions of this kind from our members, associate or active.”
Billy Molasso, assistant director of Student Life, said the greek judicial process under which the chapter was charged was created in 1998. This is the second time this semester the greek system has used its judicial board. Greek officials refused to disclose information Thursday concerning the first incident.
Fraternities have been socially suspended in the past, but not for this length of time, Molasso said.
“I believe it is the strictest sanction that an Interfraternity Council board has given since I came here in ’97,” Molasso said. “The judicial board probably doubled what IFC asked for.”
Steven Ary, president of Delta Lambda Phi at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., a fraternity comprised entirely of gay men, said if he was in the cafeteria that day, he would have ignored the fraternity’s pledges.
“To be perfectly honest, I find it humorous,” he said. “From a legal standpoint, I think that people have the right to express themselves how they want to, and I personally don’t take offense to things like that.”
Ary, who is the founder of the fraternity, said members have had no harassment problems there.
“My campus and your campus sound like night and day,” he said. “You should know people based on their personality. If you based your perception of people on hair color, this world would be in turmoil. You can battle ignorance with ignorance or battle with intelligence.”
Regardless, packaging freshman Joe Obringer said he thinks the punishment was too strict.
“They shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” he said. “But I think that if it was all in good fun, they should have toned it down a little bit.”
Third-year graduate student Khara Grieger said the sanctions are appropriate, though.
“It’s 2002, and it’s not right that a fraternity is making fun of gay men,” she said. “It’s time they wake up and realize that a lot of gay people are in this community.”
Kendra Snyder can be reached snyderk6@msu.edu.
