Kappa Sigma Cowboy

Frat Guy of the Week: Dallas Cowboys' Owner Jerry Jones

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Before he was calling the shots for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones was just another beer sluggin' frat guy at the University of Arkansas.

Raised in North Little Rock, Ark., Jones was a star runningback in high school and was awarded a football scholarship to play for the Razorbacks. At Arkansas, Jones joined Kappa Sigma fraternity and played alongside two men he would later hire to coach the Cowboys, Barry Swtizer and Jimmy Johnson.

After college, Jones made bank in an Oklahoma oil and gas exploration business and in 1989 bought the Cowboys.

Jones went on to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s with the team and remains the franchises owner today. He even made an appearance in the 1998 movie 'BASEketball' and also owns the Dallas Desperados, an Arena Football League team.

The Cowboys are sitting pretty in this year's playoffs, finishing the 2007 regular season with a 13-3 record and the top seed in the National Football Conference.

New Mexico Kappa Sigs Lose Charter

New Mexico Fraternity Loses Charter

As reported by United Press International

A University of New Mexico fraternity had its charter revoked this week due to incidents involving alcohol and discovery of a shotgun in the house.

The Albuquerque Journal said Friday that the Kappa Sigma house was ordered vacated by the end of the fall semester and won't be allowed to reopen until the national fraternity organization reinstates the charter.

Kappa Sigma was one of three New Mexico fraternities suspended this fall due to rules violations.

The Journal said the specific incidents involved underage visitors being supplied with alcohol and an August fight that led to the discovery of the shotgun by police.

Cal Kappa Sigs Correct Fire Code Violations

UC Berkeley Fraternity Members Return Home

University of California in Berkeley (compiled by ContraCostaTimes.com)

Kappa Sigma fraternity members were allowed back into their house Monday at UC Berkeley after the city fire department had sent them packing last week for violating fire codes.

About 20 students from the house spent the weekend at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Assistant Fire Chief David Orth said.

The house violated a Berkeley law requiring fire sprinklers be installed and tested in buildings with multiple tenants, Orth said. The Berkeley law was enacted after three students died at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house during a fire in 1990, he said.

Orth said the Kappa Sigma house was inspected at the end of the spring semester as members were moving out for the summer. During that inspection, the department found that fire sprinklers were painted over and would not work. Last Thursday, when inspectors returned, they found that nothing had changed, Orth said.

"They (Kappa Sigma members) were told last spring not to occupy the building and lo and behold, they did," said Orth. "During the inspection Thursday we found a number of sleeping students recovering from the night before. We also found three students hiding. These are college students, but they are not smart."

The house passed an inspection by the fire department Monday afternoon.

Fraternity members and building management officials declined to comment.

The fire department Thursday also found that furniture was piled in hallways, blocking emergency exits.

"They got behind on their construction work, and they screwed it up," Orth said. "And we couldn't have them staying in the house without the sprinklers working."

Boise State Wants Greek Life to Grow

BSU Looks to Grow More Greek Life

With a record number of students enrolled at Boise State University, the campus hopes to see a rise in the number of students participating in Greek Life.

"A lot of the students on campus don't actually know that there are Greeks on campus, let a lone what a Greek is," said Kappa Sigma president Craig Whitten.

One problem Boise State must overcome to see the expansion is for its fraternities and sororities to have their own houses on campus where new members can call home.

"It's not going to be the houses that will hold 75 to 120 people that's just not feasible for a metropolitan university," a campus official said.

3 New Mexico Frats Sanctioned

New Mexico Frats Suspended After Allegations

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Half of the University of New Mexico's fraternities have been suspended until further notice.

If you're a frat guy at New Mexico, August has seriously been just about the worst month ever. Following dumb decisions by brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Delta Theta and Kappa Sigma, the university was forced to suspend each chapter.

An SAE brother was charged by police with raping a 15-year -old girl. Police said he videotaped sexual acts with her and another girl on his cell phone.

Phi Delta Theta was suspended after a 16-year-old girl's parents called the university and said their daughter was found passed out drunk at their house.

Then, on Aug. 21, the university was forced to suspend Kappa Sigma after police found booze in their house when they stopped by to break up a fight.

"First, we will deal with these incidents," the university's president told a local newspaper. "And second, and more importantly, we will work to establish a new positive context for Greek life."

"I think this is a question not of chapters' holding the wrong types of events, (but of) individual chapter members' making very poor choices in terms of their decision-making, which chapters have to bear responsibility for," the president continued.

Penn State Kappa Sig Alumni Want to Sell Canyon Pizza Building

Visions Converge at Former Fraternity

By Patrick W. Connelly
Co-Editor, The Frat Boy News

Did you get a piece last night?

If you did, it may be your last. The alumni of Penn State University's former chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity are looking to sell their old building - a plan that would boot the popular Canyon Pizza from its current location.

Kappa Sigma's national organization disbanded its Penn State chapter five years ago. The fraternity's former home, which was the upstairs portion of a building where Canyon Pizza sells thousands of slices to drunk college kids every weekend, could be sold to the highest bidder.

An alumni group of the chapter retained ownership of the building after the fraternity disbanded. The group has a couple options in selling the building, which don't include keeping Canyon Pizza as open in the same spot.

The chapter is looking at either selling the building to an apartment developer or a local religious organization. The apartment developer would scrap the building in favor a much larger, 48-room complex for students to rent.

It's not yet known if Canyon Pizza, which also has a shop near Indiana University of Pennsylvania, would move to another location to save the popular business.

Montana Kappa Sigs Become Official

New Fraternity Chartered at UM

After three years of hard work by its founding members, Kappa Sigma will officially become a recognized fraternity at the University of Montana.

“There were a lot of doubters in the beginning,” said Matt Ferguson, a Kappa Sigma's brother. “They saw the decline in the system and said, ‘They'll never be able to get this done.' But I think we've proved the critics wrong.”

The fraternity colonized on the Montana campus in 2004 and has since worked to actively recruit members.

“As long as I've been going to school here, one fraternity has closed down every year,” said its president, Jose Diaz. “The numbers when I first came on board were definitely at an all-time low. That's changed a lot, because the kinds of students going into the Greek system are there for different things. It's not about the partying. People are in for the brotherhood and service first.”

Mizzou Kappa Sigs Summoned by Police

Kappa Sigma Violates Nuisance Ordinance

Police have issued a summons after showing up unannounced around 2 a.m. April 22 at the University of Missouri's Kappa Sigma house to break up what they have termed a "large party."

Police claim that the Kappa Sigma party violated a nuisance ordinance. Nuisance parties are defined by the local city council as social gatherings of 10 or more people where any of certain activities, including underage drinking, fighting, littering and noise violations, occur.

“It was alumni weekend, so I know for a fact that there was no after-party,” Chad Brueckner, the fraternity's president, told the Mizzou student newspaper. He told the newspaper he had been asleep since 8 p.m. and wasn't aware of any large parties.

The university's Greek Life office said it may be the first such violation they know of on campus. Police are still investigating the party.

Nationwide Crackdown on Hazing

Colleges targeting hazing

Frat guys aren't the only group of college students getting caught hazing, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Chi Beta Epsilon sorority at Trinity University was recently suspended by their national organization after, as the newspaper reported, pledges were forced to wear blacked-out goggles while traveling to retreats and ugly "pledge boots" passed down from older members. Some girls then posted pictures on Facebook that caught the attention of faculty.

"There is no such thing as a little bit of good hazing," said Peter Smithhisler, vice president of the North-American Interfraternity Conference.

The newspaper also reported that police charged three students at Texas State University earlier this month with public intoxication or driving while intoxicated after their pickup was swept into the Blanco River following a toga party at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. No one was hurt, but the chapter was suspended pending an investigation by the university and alumni board.

The article also mentioned several other hazing incident that made headlines in the past few years. Some of those are as follows.

University of Texas San Antonio and St. Mary's University suspended several fraternities over the last couple years for making pledges do calisthenics, and screaming at them.

At Miami University of Ohio, Phi Gamma Delta was suspended for dropping pledges off in a local wooded park this winter. Miami of Ohio has also in the last two years, suspended a sorority for making pledges do wall sits for an extended time, and suspended a fraternity for making pledges wake up in the middle of the night to clean and other chores, and forced them to eat disgusting food.

North Carolina State University suspended a fraternity for having the pledges run naked through fraternity and sorority houses.

Tulane University in New Orleans, a fraternity had a pledge wear a diaper during a party.

The Spurs, a local sorority at Trinity University, used to have pledges walk through the men's dorm and chant: "We must, we must, we must increase our bust."

The Triniteers, a local fraternity at Trinity University, dressed a Jewish pledge in a Nazi uniform several years ago.

While Greek organizations are being persecuted regularly for alleged hazing violations, some people are beginning to stick up for fraternities traditions.

Gage Paine, vice president for student affairs at the University of Texas at San Antonio said "I sat and listened to a student say to me that his membership in his fraternity would not mean as much as his father's did because he would not have to go through as tough a hazing program, and it was all my fault."

Alex Massad, a junior at Trinity University shared his opinion of hazing, which echoed the sentiment of much of the Greek community;

"Hazing always has the connotation of something bad, there is hazing and there are traditional rituals. When you put people through something together, it builds a brotherhood or a bond."

Cheeseburger In Kappa Sig Paradise

Frat Guy of the Week: Kappa Sigma's Jimmy Buffet

Believe it or not, but "Parrothead" Jimmy Buffet was a brother of Kappa Sigma during his college days at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Buffet originally attended the Auburn University, where he began pledging Sigma Pi. He would later transfer to Southern Miss, where he was initiated as a brother of Kappa Sigma and received a degree in history in 1969.

After graduating from college, Buffet began working as a correspondent for Billboard magazine. Around that time, he began recording songs, and the rest became history.

Today, Jimmy Buffet remains one of the most popular entertainers in the world and is adored by millions.

Gay Frat is the Anti-Animal House

Gay Brotherhood: Antitheses of 'Animal House' Drunken Excess

Believe it or not, the fastest growing fraternity in the United States isn't Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Chi, or Alpha Chi Rho, it's the gay frat Delta Lambda Phi according to a report from ABC News.

ABC News writes that, "The term "gentleman" does not conjure up those puerile Hollywood fraternity brothers Bluto Blutarsky and Otter Stratton, who waged a drunken war against Dean Vernon Wormer as he tried to shut down the fictitious Delta House — the "Animal House."

New York University became the latest college to open it doors for the only national fraternity started by gay men for gay men. Membership is open to gay, bisexual, progressive and straight men.

Delta Lambda Phi currently has 24 chapters nationwide, with 10 colonies scattered around the country.

Sororities at Lehigh Hope to Occupy Vacant Mansions

For Lehigh Sororities, Dreams of Mansion on The Hill

The vacant houses of two Lehigh University frats could become sorority houses as soon as next fall.

Earlier this year, Lehigh's chapters of Kappa Sigma and Alpha Chi Rho were forced out of their house by the university. Kappa Sigma is trying to appeal the decision with its national chapter, but the university has already approved Alpha Chi Omega to move into the former Crow house.

If the Kappa Sigs lose their appeal, the lovely ladies of Pi Beta Phi will moving in their house. Lehigh wants to diversify "The Hill" where mostly frats have lived in mansions capable of housing 50 brothers in the past.

Vandy Greeks Moving In To Ex-Kappa Sig House

NPHC Accept Offer to Occupy Kappa Sigma House

Vanderbilt University is planning on using the vacant Kappa Sigma house in a creative arrangement to house four different fraternities.

Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma plan to jointly occupy the old Kappa Sigma house until at least 2010, when the Kappa Sigs plan to return.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council's president Steven Harris said "We are definitely grateful for the opportunity to use the house as a residence for the NPHC men," he said. "We still realize this is a temporary residence." The National Pan-Hellenic Council is the governing body for the four historically black fraternities.

While the building is not large enough to hold all of the members of all four fraternities, the four fraternities will use the building for social functions, and a select few will live in the house. Previously the fraternities were using the campus social hall for their events.

Don't Talk Shit on MySpace

Fraternity Investigates MySpace Posts

As reported by The Chronicle:

Leaders of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of Michigan at Flint have written a letter of apology and say they will investigate chapter members who ran an online group that was perceived as racist.

The controversial site, “2nd Floor UCEN, We’re Takin’ It Back,” called on people to “take back” the second floor of the campus’s University Center. A cultural lounge there is a popular gathering place for black students. While several students told the newspaper that they disregarded the comments, others said they were offended by negative stereotypes used on the site.

The site was apparently posted in the fall but taken down within the past month. The fraternity’s apology is scheduled to appear in the student newspaper, The Michigan Times, on Monday.

"If You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Can Dodge a Ball"

Fraternity Dodgeball Contest Raises $2.8k for Cystic Fibrosis

As reported by Ari Learner of The Wildcat Online:

Kappa Sigma fraternity raised more than $2,800 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in their second annual dodgeball tournament yesterday, choosing the organization because one of their members has the disease, according to event officials. More than 200 students and nearly 100 spectators met yesterday morning at the north gym of the Student Recreation Center for the friendly competition and pizza.

"(The teams) were intense, yelling and screaming; whistles were blowing and everyone was having fun," said Matt Mayberry, economics junior, vice president of Kappa Sigma and coach of Delta Delta Delta's first-place team.

"Not only are we able to give them $2,800 from another nonprofit organization, but it helps give publicity about the disease," Mayberry said.

Andrew Rozen, an animal sciences sophomore and event organizer, said his fraternity holds annual fundraisers because they want to give back to the community. Rozen, philanthropy chair for Kappa Sigma, said the event was partially influenced by Rawson Marshall Thurber's movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," but that this year's event was also motivated by last year's success.

Rozen also said a member of Kappa Sigma has cystic fibrosis, although the member could not be reached for comment. Fraternity members have volunteered 116 hours at local nonprofits and plan to increase the number of volunteer hours throughout the semester, Rozen said.

Nationally, Kappa Sigma's more than 200 chapters donated about 170,000 hours of service and $724,000 to various charities, said Patrick Corr, deputy commissioner of national service effort for Kappa Sigma's "A Greater Cause Commission."

Bott said the fraternity encourages chapters to do service projects in their local community as it "is such an important part of what we do." Rozen said the chapter plans to continue the dodgeball tournament in the future as part of the fraternity's service projects.

"This year, we will have all the kinks out," he said. "Hopefully, we will make this an annual tournament."

Greek Numbers Down at Lehigh, Frat crackdown hurts recruitment

Fraternity Bids Down, Greek Hopes Still High

Campus administrators have tried to put a positive spin on it, but the fact stands: Numbers are down for Lehigh rush.

The Brown and White, Lehigh's student newspaper reported that 238 men accepted their bids this year versus approximately 293 last year, a nearly 19% decrease.

“Numbers are down this year, but not when you average it out among the chapters,” said Tim Wilkinson, assistant dean of students for fraternity and sorority affairs.

Wilkinson is referring to the average number of new recruits per chapter, which stands at 13.1. This same measurement came in at 13.9 per chapter last year, representing a 5.8% decrease.

Most blame the poor recruitment on the crackdown on fraternities that has resulted in Alpha Chi Rho losing their house and Kappa Sigma losing their charter. The Hill, where most of the Greek housing is located, has also seen an increase police presence.

While the FratBoyNews does not deal in conspiracy theory's, we are wary that Lehigh, under the leadership of their new President is undertaking an anti-Greek stance. These low recruitment levels will likely trigger new evictions under their Greek occupancy rule, which requires a 90% occupancy level for Greek organizations to keep a house on campus. This is how Alpha Chi Rho came to be without a house.

It's a chilling time line: August 2006 a new President takes office at Lehigh, six months later, two fraternities are gone, police now patrol fraternity hill, and recruitment is down. Is Lehigh attempting to "thin out" the Greek population?

Related:
Lehigh Crows Can't Fill House, Must Leave by Jan. 24
Lehigh Crows Taking Traditional Frat Boy Approach to Problem Solving
Kappa Sigs Gone at Lehigh

ETSU Welcomes New Kappa Sig Chapter

Kappa Sigma Receives Charter

The boys are back! Kappa Sigma has returned to Eastern Tennessee State University after a long hiatus. Many fraternitys were booted from campus in the '80's, Kappa Sig's included, for the usual reasons frats are asked to leave.

Now, thanks to the dedicated efforts of a handful of determined brothers, pictured above, Kappa Sig is back in full swing. "What it took was a group of guys who said 'I'm not going to give up until it gets done. I will not be a failure. I will be remembered on this campus as starting Kappa Sigma," said Kappa Sigma president Kris Triplett.

Becoming recognized and receiving a charter was no small feat, as the whole process took over two years. "In two years they wrote numerous programs, attended seminars, raised $5,000 and completed over 2,000 hours of community service." reported the East Tennessean.

Congratulations guys, you deserve it. The Greek community is lucky to have leaders like you.

Kappa Sigs Gone at Lehigh

Despite Progress, Frat Loses Charter

The Lehigh Crows may have been kicked out of there house, but at least they still have their charter, something the university's chapter of Kappa Sigma can't say.

Here's a stunner - empty bottles of vodka were found in the Kappa Sigma party room last year. Although the frat had been recognized recently for their community work on campus, it wasn't enough for them to stay.

Kappa Sigma's national board voted to revoke the Lehigh chapter's charter, becoming the 2nd fraternity to be disbanded at the campus in as many weeks.

The brothers were told to be out of their house by next Friday.

Rape Charges Dropped at Idaho Frat House

Prosecutor Drops Charge of Rape at UI Frat House

Rape charges have been dismissed in a case from the University of Idaho where a man was accused of raping a woman at a fraternity house.

After a football game in September, David Barkdull had been accused of raping the woman at the university's Kappa Sigma house. The case was thrown out by prosecutors who cited a lack of evidence.

GUTS, Do You Have it? Kappa Sigs Do

Frat Guy of the Week: Kappa Sigma's own Mike O'Malley

Mike O'Malley, who became a household name as the host of Nickelodeon's game show GUTS, and later on the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, is our first "Frat Guy of the Week." O'Malley is a member of the Beta-Kappa chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Perhaps most famous for appearing as "The Rick" on a series of ESPN commercials in the late 1990s, O'Malley continues his career in entertainment as an actor today.

"Frat Guy of the Week" will continue each and every Tuesday on the Frat Boy News.