University looks at deferring fall rush

Administrators are currently considering deferring fraternity rush for freshmen after a series of separate incidents involving hazing. This scrutiny of fraternities has already resulted in the suspension of Phi Kappa Tau for two years, beginning this semester.fkt was found guilty of hazing – one of six total charges brought against them at the end of last semester. In addition to being banned from campus, no more than four brothers are allowed to live together.”Based on past precedents, [the suspension] wasn’t warranted,” senior and former President of fkt Adam Brod said.Hazing, which Associate Dean of Students in charge of discipline Matt Burns describes as “anything that would cause a person emotional distress,” has been against university regulations in some form for about a decade.”We’ve felt like we’ve made ourselves very clear about hazing,” Dean of Students Jody Asbury said. “That said, we had an incident in spring 2003.””There was a devastating incident,” she said.Last semester an undergraduate was taken from Susan B. Anthony Residence Halls to Strong Memorial Hospital for self-inflicted injuries, according to UR Security. The student was later identified as a FKT pledge.Fall rushLast Tuesday, representatives from the Fraternity Presidents’ Council met with Burns and Asbury to discuss the possibility of deferring rush to spring. “We met last Tuesday [and basically told them] that we’re ready to defer rush,” Burns said.”It’s important to note that this just affects fraternities,” he said.”The school is looking at deferring rush to the spring for freshman and we’ve been charged with presenting a proposal as an alternative solution,” junior and chairman of the Fraternity Presidents’ Council Matt Gabler said. “We’re looking at a bunch of schools to see what’s successful,” he said.Asbury sees the administration’s position as a reaction to a tragic incident. “We just need to pause,” Asbury said. “We’ve had a devastating experience. I am considering a pause in rush. It’s just a halt in rushing for the new members of our community.””We had not planned to deal with [the deferment] issue this year, but things happened last year,” Dean of The College William Scott Green said. “The college hasSee RUSH, Page 6 ?changed a lot in the past few years.”Recent allegations of hazing date back to late 2001, when some fraternities faced scrutiny after a widely-publicized incident in which a mutilated cat was found hanging in a bag on the door of the Quad Annex. The cat incident resulted in three fraternities being put on summary disciplinary probation.Brod believes that the problem lies in what he perceives to be a lack of communication between fraternities and the administration. He would like to see the administration look for more proactive solutions – addressing problems before major incidents occur. “There’s been very little communication between administration and fraternities until problems come up,” he said.Asbury promises that there will be discussion on rush suspension. “They want to make an argument to this case and we want to hear it,” she said. “I would call it an open discussion.”According to Asbury, a decision is expected by the end of next week.