Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...
Yes, Please make this my home page!
Students face suspension in hazing accusation
Monique Garcia & Andrea Zimmermann
Daily Egyptian (Southern Illinois University Campus Newspaper)
Five members of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and five prospective members could be
suspended from the University after allegations of hazing that allegedly occurred last fall.
According to police reports obtained by one of the accused, Chantal Conley and Dominique Winston
allege that between Oct. 3 and 6, they were paddled, punched, pushed and threatened as part
of a potential review process to be inducted into the sorority.
In the report, Conley said the two dropped out because of the abuse and a week later
contacted Mu Eta Zeta,the graduate chapter of the sorority, which conducted an internal affairs
investigation into the matter. The graduate chapter found no reason to believe hazing occurred,
at which time undergraduate members say they were told Conley and Winston would be offered
membership in an effort to minimize the situation. Both are now official members.
After going to SIUC Police on Nov. 2, Conley and Winston opted to not press criminal
charges but decided to forward the matter to the University's Student Judicial Affairs office
in January. Both women declined to comment about the allegations.
In addition to denying that hazing ever occurred, the accused members say the cases
against them are riddled with inconsistencies in regards to the conduct code, specifically
the statute of limitations and jurisdiction. The last of 10 hearings ended Tuesday,
with six women given one-year suspensions and four women, including the former president
and current vice president face three-year suspensions. Three other members had hearings
and were cleared of all charges.
The women facing three-year suspensions are Ryan Robinson, Monet Williams, former
president Nakia Collins and current vice president Teqeira Johnson. Latrice Body is
the only member who has been handed a one-year suspension. The prospective members facing
one-year suspensions are Krystal Adams, Kimberly Patterson, Jamila Jones,
Tashauna Waters and Nakia Moore.
All of the accused have either entered their requests for appeal or said they plan
to do so. The accused have hired Carbondale attorney Ed Dorsey to help them during the
appeals process and are working to get a lawyer from Chicago as well. They have
also contacted the state chapter of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the national
chapter of the NAACP.
As listed in the conduct code, grounds for appeals include procedural errors
that substantially affected the outcome, lack of or newly discovered evidence or
an excessive punishment. Conley said in the police reports that the hazing occurred
at an inactive member's house. The accused say the sorority was not undergoing the
formal intake process but was an observational period to examine prospects.
Judicial Affairs Coordinator Terry Huffman refused to comment, and
workers in his office said any questions can be answered as written in the
conduct code. According to the student conduct code, if the incident occurs off campus,
the University has jurisdiction in the following cases: when events are sponsored by
recognized student organizations or when students represent the University.
Additionally, jurisdiction applies to off-campus housing if zoned by the city as a
greek organization and displaying its name or letters. Students can also be held
responsible for conduct when in academic-related settings off campus, or conduct that
"substantially interferes with the mission of the University, but not limited to the
educational pursuits of its students, faculty or staff."
Last semester, student Jessica Bustos was found in violation of the conduct code for a
summer fight outside Hangar 9, but the decision was thrown out after Huffman ruled the University
did not have jurisdiction to charge her. After the case, Huffman said the conduct code did not
efficiently address when the University has jurisdiction.
"We have not, as an office, been doing a very good job of accessing whether we actually
have jurisdiction or not," Huffman said in September. "We are taking steps to alleviate that
problem." Also in September, the Undergraduate Student Government agreed to form a committee to
examine the conduct code, but outgoing president Tequia Hicks said she is unsure of the
committee's status. The conduct code was last revised in August 2003.
A clause was added to the procedures, which stated the conduct code would be reviewed every five years
unless a recognized organization requests an earlier review. The code also states the
chancellor will appoint a nine-member committee to make recommendations for revisions.
The accused also said the University does not have grounds to charge them based on the code's statute of
limitations, which states that complaints must be made to the office within 20 days of the incident. Conley
reported the case to the police 32 days after it allegedly happened and was forwarded to Judicial Affairs
more than three months after the deadline. Judicial Affairs enforces the SIUC student conduct code,
which deals with student issues such as academic dishonesty, social misconduct and hazing. If students are
found in violation of the code, punishments can range from writing an essay to expulsion from the University.
The office makes its rulings based on a preponderance of evidence, whereas in court, prosecutors need to
prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Katie Sermersheim, director of Student Development, said if at the
end of the appeals process members are found in violation, the sorority may be punished, including,
but not limited to, banning the organization from the University. Sermersheim banned Pi Kappa Alpha
from SIUC last spring after a pledge drowned in a fraternity-related camping trip at Cedar Lake.
Click Here To Access Follow Up Article
Return To Home Page
