North Carolina State University is the latest school to have a skid mark on the reputation of it’s Greek life.
NC State has banned alcohol at the parties of all traditional fraternities. The ban, however, doesn’t include several black fraternities on campus.
The ban comes in the wake of the University of Mary Washington rugby team being disbanded for using crude language toward women in a chant that surfaced on Soundcloud, members of a Penn State fraternity facing possible criminal charges for a picture of a naked woman that was allegedly posted to a Facebook page.
What was the NC State ban all about, you ask? A little green notebook.
The notebook, apparently a pledge book for Pi Kappa Phi, was found near a restaurant near campus and contained handwritten notes, some of which were racially and sexually charged, and defamatory comments toward women and children.
Some examples of the comments written in the green notebook are
“Man that true is so perfect for lynching.”
“If she’s old enough to pee, she’s old enough for me.”
“If she’s hot enough, she doesn’t need a pulse.”
“It will be short and painful, just like when I rape you.”
Pi Kappa Phi CEO Mark E. Timmes said in a statement:
“The written comments and quotes reported earlier this evening are offensive and unacceptable. These statements are inconsistent with the values of Pi Kappa Phi and will not be tolerated. We have instructed our students to cooperate fully with all investigation efforts.”
The University has placed an interim suspension on the fraternity that prohibits them from holding meetings or participating in philanthropic events during the ongoing investigation.
The ban on alcohol at social events in recognized fraternities is directly related to both local scandals as well as “national issues”, says a news release by the University.
However, the ban comes with one huge loophole: the school’s historically black fraternities, are totally exempt because these frats are not recognized by the school’s Interfraternity Council (IFC).
The University’s black fraternities haven’t gone unscathed in the turmoil surrounding fraternities at NC State. Five months back, historically black frat Phi Beta Sigma, was suspended until 2018 for an inter-frat hazing incident.