Pi Phi's Win Vandy Sigma Chi Derby Days

Pi Beta Phi Wins Sigma Chi Derby Days

The girls of Pi Beta Phi were the lucky winners of this year's Sigma Chi "Derby Days" week at the University of Vanderbilt.

About 20 sorority girls got into a heated altercation early Thursday morning about who had found the hidden black derby which could earn them the greatest amount of points for the week.

"The main point is our philanthropy, the Children's Miracle Network," said Sigma Chi President Trent Acuff. "It was definitely a huge success; we're really happy with how everything turned out."

"People were really surprised when Pi Phi won because we didn't find the derby, nor did we win flag football," said Holly Hoffman of Pi Beta Phi. "But we actually worked very hard to sell ads before Derby week, and most of our sorority was at the baseball game."

Vanderbilt Sigma Chi's 'Derby Days' Stirs Trouble

Sorority Women Involved in Heated Dispute over Black Derby

About 20 Vanderbilt University sorority girls from two different chapters got into a heated argument Thursday morning over who the lucky lady was that found the coveted Sigma Chi "Black Derby."

Sororities have been searching the campus all week for the black hat. It is worth 1,500 points toward winning Sigma Chi fraternity's "Derby Days" week-long competition. Some girls were reported to have left the fight with bite marks, and police were called to break them up. It was not reported what sororities were involved in the fight.

Vanderbilt's director of Greek Life, Kristin Torrey, dropped in email to all Greek women Thursday after the altercation.

"The purpose of my e-mail was to avoid any further drama for the rest of the Derby Days activities, especially in the football games, because those have always been something our sororities are highly competitive in," she said.

"It is a big deal because we should show better Panhellenic spirit than those women today," she said. "We need to make sure that we are respectful of each other and that we are getting along."

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.

The Difference Between Pledging and Hazing

The Frat Boy News Daily College Column
By Justin Poythress, Vanderbilt University

The issue of fraternity hazing is a rather old one in the sense that it has been debated countless times in countless different environments and situations. However, in light of the latest incident in this long chain affecting Phi Kappa Psi, I feel it is important to discuss some basic realities people seem unwilling to face.

Every organization employs some form of hazing, or, more accurately, a new member initiation process. Each organization has its own individual traits, regulations and expectations and new members must learn and accept these before they are able to display the identity of the larger group. Whether this process is something basic such as a list of rules on a sheet you must sign, such as the Honor Code, or something more intricate and intense like military boot camp, the processes exist universally.

Now, in our specific university situation, the difference I see between pledging and hazing is that hazing is any process meant to make new members feel inferior or uncomfortable in any way; more specific guidelines are comprehensive and numerous. Just so we're on the same plane here, it should also be understood that all fraternities, if examined closely, probably would be found in violation of the hazing policy. It should also be noted that there will rarely be a “hazing incident” resulting in disciplinary action unless a disgruntled pledge snitches on his own group.

However, I would argue that the university should remove the choke-chain from the fraternities. I am not a member of a fraternity, but I have seen these foolish and destructive measures taken in the name of creating a safe environment. No matter what rules exist, there will always be ways to get around them to allow a fraternity to do whatever it likes in secret. I also think it is fair to say that in the long run, nobody, especially the fraternity, wishes to see pledges getting beaten, set on fire or poisoned. Word does spread about what type of pledging the fraternities exercise, and the ones going over the top with intense hazing are doomed to decline in popularity.

The best argument as to why the university should not concern itself with fraternity pledging is because the pledging process should be a contract between the individual student and the fraternity. If a student or pledge is upset or uncomfortable with a fraternity’s deeds he should leave. There is no need to make the situation any more complicated than that. I am in no way advocating violent or “intense” hazing, but when one joins a Greek organization, he shoulders the responsibility of the group’s requirements. If he does not find those requirements acceptable, he may always leave the group, but there is no need to complain to someone else and in doing so take away the opportunities of others.

Justin Poythress is a sophomore in Vanderbilt's Peabody College.