Posted on 05/10/2006 1:12:02 PM PDT by andrew2527
Four fraternity members accused of making pledges wear cowboy clothes and suffer homophobic insults in a "Brokeback Mountain"-themed initiation ritual face $1,000 fines under the state's anti-hazing law.
University of Vermont police said the civil penalties stemmed from a March 2 party at the Phi Gamma Delta house based on the movie about gay cowboys.
"What they did, which I felt was homophobic in nature, was inappropriate," UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis said.
Phi Gamma Delta's alumni advisers have denied accounts of anti- homosexual remarks and heavy drinking at the party.
Chittenden County Deputy State's Attorney Ed Sutton said his office did not plan to file criminal charges and believed the case "would be better dealt with in context of a university judicial review."
University police singled out four officers in the fraternity, Margolis said. Scott Curley II, 18, of Bridgewater, Mass.; Eric Freedman, 20, of West Simsbury, Conn.; Bill Holohan IV, 20, of Branford, Conn.; and Geoffrey Robinson, 20, of Middletown Springs were given tickets Friday, police said.
Vermont's anti-hazing law was passed after a 1999 hazing scandal at UVM in which members of the hockey team were accused of forcing freshman players to drink warm beer until they vomited and march in an "elephant walk" while holding each other's genitals. The allegations triggered the cancellation of the last 15 games of the hockey season
"some fraternities make them go the full brokeback"
Pretty much a myth, I think.
At MIT, it was something upwards of 80% greek. There was no place (reasonably priced and non-dorm) to live, otherwise.
How terrible! Homophobic insults! That's against the law, isn't it?
I have never been to a frat initiation. I am a shell-back, though. And I know that initiation would be cause for a firing squad, now.
Why do these fraternities have so many homo overtones?
Lots of closeted rich guys?
We have a great thing called "Freedom of Assembly" in this country. Except when we don't.
In those cases, we have the state dictating to willing parties that they are not allowed to pursue their own private interests.
FIJI was banned at Cornell just before I arrived.
A 'fun loving bunch' for sure.
-thats not nice...
ROTFLMAO
phobic: (new definition) expressing insufficient zeal while expressing total support.
Joe was expelled from the university for homophobia because he stopped clapping too soon at the end of the gay pride parade.
The Navy stopped that particular initiation, re-instuted a Bowdlerized version, and (I am told, although I'd love to hear from a current sailor) then stopped even that. Pity. I can't think of a better way to spend a day than crawling through garbage stem to stern with guys whipping on you with firehoses. And then there was the Royal Baby...
.....but it never seemed more than just "harmless" humor.....
.....yep, I was scared to death at the time.....
.....but after it was over.....
.....we all could'nt wait to "haze" the next pledges.....
.....and as far as making fun of homos.....
.....heck, we made fun of everybody!.....
When I was at U of M, a frat {I forget which one) was banned after a pledge was shot in the genitals by a BB gun during some sick initiation.
No, silly. Homophobic is a fear of words that sound the same but are spelled differently.
Delta house?
I read this thinking, this was a crime? Gees, this is such bulloney!
Video at 6:00 and 11:00.
Whew. Well, that's nothing. When I read the headline I thought... well.. you know.
Me too! But ours was pretty mild as it was a submarine tender with women aboard.
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