While I obviously don’t attend Syracuse University, I am from Syracuse and have been to the university countless times. I’ve attended sporting events, Science Olympiads and went on official visits when I was looking at colleges. That is why it goes without saying that I feel very strongly about the racist incidents that have been reported at Syracuse. While not all these incidents were perpetrated by members of a fraternity, fraternities have played a big role in the incidents.
According to appstate.edu, fraternities were founded to provide students with the opportunity to “learn about a greater variety of topics than were offered in the classroom, explore other academic venues in more detail than time allotted for with their professors during class time, and be able to express themselves freely.” While fraternities today still provide these advantages for students, it’s not without controversy along the way.
In 2017, four students died while pledging fraternities at American Universities. All four of these deaths were caused by a combination of alcohol and hazing. Two of these schools, Florida State and Texas State, suspended Greek activities for an indefinite period, while Penn State banned the Beta Theta Pi fraternity that was responsible for Tim Piazza’s death.
While I understand that the death of one of their brothers was by no means what the fraternity members wanted, they still must be held accountable. In Penn State’s case, I believe they were correct in banning said fraternity outright. If a fraternity member dies and his death can be linked to hazing, that fraternity should automatically be shutdown. There is no reason a fraternity should be allowed to exist after the death of a member, and it is a step that must be taken to ensure that hazing will be put to an end.
Unfortunately, hazing is not the only kind of inappropriate behavior that takes place on college campuses. Along with the previously mentioned incidents at Syracuse, in April 2018 there was another racially motivated incident. A video of members of the Theta Tau fraternity made its way online and showed members reciting extremely vulgar “oaths.” In the video, the members portrayed racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and sexist behavior, along with hostile behavior towards people with disabilities. In this scenario, the university took the right course of action and expelled the fraternity.
These courses of action should not need to be taken because these instances of racism and hazing should not take place in the first place. It sickens me that things like this are still prevalent today. These repeated racist acts at Syracuse are indefensible and need to be addressed immediately.
The focus of fraternities should return to creating a place where students can be themselves, instead of creating a space of fear.
By Max Mcauliff, Staff Writer
mcaulimr18@bonaventure.edu
