'Brokeback' Initiation: Fraternity Members Face Hazing Fines...

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

"The parties on the receiving end of these things are not generally informed of the details in advance, so they can hardly be said to have consented."

Ambiguity may be part of any contract.

"In addition, the perpetrators use a combination of strong peer pressure,"

Legal. Commendable in some ways- the very point of such bonding related to any team spirit or conscription to service.

"illegal serving of alcohol to underage pledges,"

I fully support this as a libertarian, though good judgement dictates not actually doing so.

"and often physical force,"

I believe a perceived threat of physical force exists, but that it is real and used often... I disagree.

"to discourage anyone from backing out after they find out what's really going to happen."

False imprisonment is already a crime, considered next to kidnapping. That should always be prosecuted when it occurs.

"When these things get reported and prosecuted, it's usually either because one of the unwilling victims blows the whistle, or because something goes horribly wrong and somebody ends up in the hospital or dead."

So far, I have been argumentative in the interest of defending the right to haze and be hazed. It so happens on a personal level that I agree with you, largely. Hazing goes too far and gets out of control, and then ends up killing someone.

I support addressing the problem in some manner, but summarily banning an activity is not the American way.

Yep, whatever The Sopranos had...it lost.

Season One was the best season of serial TV ever. Season Two was a close second. After that, there were still flashes of brilliance at various times.

Now, after the two-year hiatus, there's almost nothing left. I'll probably watch it through the end just to see what happens to a couple of characters, but the show really doesn't warrant it.

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