THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
been e an ye it's de de game ception ' sea-
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2005
VOL.116 ISSUE 66
PHI KAPPA THETA
Former pledges sue fraternity
BY LOUIS MORA
lmora@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
For the second time in less than a week, allegations of hazing in fraternities are under investigation.
Four former pledges of Phi Kappa Theta have filed a lawsuit against the fraternity's alumni corporation asserting problems with hazing. Phi Kappa Theta's charter was revoked last spring because of violations with recruitment and an unregistered party.
The lawsuit, filed in Douglas County District Court by Jeremy Winfrey, Basehor sophomore; David Trotter, Overland Park sophomore; Eric Kennedy, Basehor sophomore; and Mark Britain,
Flower Mound, Texas, junior, indicated that the fraternity forced them to eat live animals and other substances, put them in forced, bodily contact with human feces and urine and physical, psychological and verbal abuse. The four men are suing for more than $50,000 in damages.
The men were also forced to sleep in close confines with seven other pledges from early afternoon on Nov. 14 to the next morning, which resulted in little sleep. According to the lawsuit, the lack of sleep caused Winfrey to fall asleep while driving and crash into another vehicle.
CJ Carroll, Overland Park sophomore, was a member of the fraternity last fall until he left after
problems he said resembled those mentioned in the lawsuit.
"I would back them up 110 percent," he said about the four men.
Carroll said if he knew they were going to file a lawsuit he would have joined. He said the alumni corporation did little to stop the problems.
"That house was doomed from the beginning," he said. "It was a bad experience and I don't want to bring those memories back up."
Charles Schimmel, attorney for the four men, said issues with hazing began when they joined the fraternity in Fall 2004 and continued throughout the school year. The men left the fraternity in the spring semester.
SEE LAWSUIT ON PAGE 3A
Phi Kappa Theta
Feb.19,2005
- Police respond to a noise complaint at the house of Phi Kappa Theta, They confiscate 16 kegs and $517 in cash.
March 8, 2005
$\diamond$ The Interfraternity Council Board voted to expel the fraternity making it the first time the IFC had to expel a fraternity. IFC said the fraternity's party was unregistered and found violations of recruitment and alcohol policy.
GREEK MISCONDUCT
April 4,2005
Sigma Nu
The Phi Kappa Theta national fraternity revokes the chapter's charter.
Sept. 1.2005
Officials from the national headquarters of Sigma Nu confirm they were "looking into allegations with the risk management policy," according to Brad Beacham, executive national director.
- Sigma Nu officials announce they have pulled
Sept. 9, 2005
the charter of the fraternity after they found problems with hazing.
Kappa Sigma
Nov.15.2005
♦ Kanna Sigma officials
- Kappa Sigma officials begin investigating the fraternity and have suspended all social functions. The men will appear in front of the national organization on Jan. 21. Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said the organization found "little hazing but did uncover evidence of underage drinking and other inappropriate behavior."
STUDY ABROAD
Remy de la Mauvinière/THE ASSOCIATES PRECIO
Riot police officers apprehend a suspect in Eveux, western France, on Thursday, Nov. 10, the second day of a curfew that was instated. The curfew was in effect from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to prevent riots after two weeks of unrests in large French cities.
Students witness riots
BY MALINDA OSBORNE
mosborne@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
French say violence not unusual
One night during a long weekend in Lyon, France, Brynn White, her brother and a friend saw a group of police officers running past them in the main square.
"We later were blocks away and suddenly had the overwhelming sensation of tear gas in our noses," said White, Overland Park junior, who was not harmed in the incident.
While U.S. news reports depicted a chaotic and severe rash of violence in France over the past few weeks, students say the French population and media see it as something that has been blown out of proportion. White, along with other KU students studying abroad in France, sees the incidents more as a learning experience on social
relations and discrimination than something to be worried about.
The riots started after the accidental electrocution deaths of two youths who thought police were chasing them. The teenagers were from a disenfranchised Paris suburb, or banlieue, where many immigrants of Arab or African decent live in high-rise housing projects.
Most of the rioters were disgruntled youths demonstrating their frustration with racial discrimination and unemployment through arson attacks and other violence in their own neighborhoods. Incidents lessened since France declared a state of emergency. At its peak, 1,400 cars were burned in a single night and there was only one fatality. Now the protest has nearly dissipated.
SEE FRANCE ON PAGE 3A
Jonathan Kealing/KANSAN
GREEK LIFE
New IFC president tackles controversy
BY LOUIS MORA
Imora@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Scott Ferguson's term as Interfraternity Council president has gotten off to a rough start.
Elected Nov. 8, it was announced on Monday that Kappa Sigma fraternity was under investigation for hazing.
But Ferguson wants to make hazing and other misbehavior will cease and he's created a three-themed platform focusing on community, support and unity, which he said would allow the council to stop problems before they start.
Better communication would allow the council to identify chapter's strengths and weaknesses and solve their problems more quickly.
Ferguson said he wanted chapters to understand that the IFC board is more than a governing body, but more a resource for the chapters.
Cars enter into the Lawrence Police Department sobriety checkpoint early Saturday morning. The checkpoint was conducted on the 700 block of North Second Street
"We can prepare ourselves before it gets to the front page," he said. "With better communication we can react quicker."
When the new vice presidents meet for the first time, they will address managing alcohol, making responsible decisions and treating members properly. Ferguson said.
Sampson Yimer, Lawrence junior and incoming vice president of risk management, is a member of Sigma Chi and oversees compliance with IFC guidelines. He said chapters needed more information about what actions may be hazing
He said the council would be proactive and hold meetings with all chapters to make the rules clear.
Justin O'Neal/KANSAN
Ferguson said he wanted others to know IFC was taking initiatives to stop problems, such as hazing, and if something did happen it's a misguided action and not representative of all the other chapters.
But there is always room for improvement. Shorten said.
"Always seek to innovate and always find new ways to benefit the fraternities," he suggested to the new president.
He said he learned from his experience as president and has passed on advice to Ferguson.
Van catches drunken drivers
Scott Shorten, Stillwell senior and former IFC president, said his term had ups and downs.
— Edited by Jonathan Kealing
SAFETY
Local police use technology to check drivers
BY STEVE LYNN
slynn@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The officer guides the man — in his 20s and wearing baggy pants and a blue jacket — to the sidewalk. The man raises his arms and shakes his head, making a futile plea.
A Lawrence police officer tells a man to step out of his vehicle at a sobriety checkpoint about midnight Saturday.
The officer waves something from side to side in front of the man's face. The man follows it with his eyes.
In the next test, the man lifts his right leg while counting; "one one-thousand one, two one thousand," and so on. The man counts to only "six one-thousand" before his foot touches the ground.
Then the officer points the man toward a white line on the sidewalk. The man navigates it slowly, swaying.
The officer takes the man to the Lawrence Police Department's new breath-alcohol testing, or B.A.T., van, a large white Ford vehicle more like a small motor home than a van.
Sgt. Dan Ward of the Lawrence Police Department said the B.A.T. van, in use since 8, has increased the efficiency of checkpoints, saturation patrols and accident investigations. The
van cost about $90,000, with a federal grant paying about 80 percent and the city paying about 20 percent, Ward said.
The cities of Wichita and Kansas City, Mo., both have specialized vehicles they use during sobriety checkpoints.
The B.A.T. van allows officers to conduct their investigations at the scene. It has computers that can reconstruct accidents and a breathalyzer that can test potentially impaired drivers.
Before, police would transport drivers suspected of using alcohol to the Douglas County Jail, Ward said. Drivers were observed for 20 minutes, then their blood-alcohol levels were tested, he said.
The machine in the van tests a person's alcohol level when a suspect breathes into a tube, but the van will not be used for blood tests, he said.
SEE BAT VAN ON PAGE 3A
Hawaii-bound 'Hawks
The Jayhawks are one of just three teams in the EA Sports Maui Invitational Tournament that are not ranked. They face Arizona at 8 tonight. PAGE 10A
Battle of the universities
Associate sports editor Eric Sorrentino and his brother at Arizona discuss the outcome of tonight's game against Arizona as well as differences between the universities. PAGE 9A
Easy victory
The Kansas women's basketball team cruised to a 77-53 victory against Binghamton on Sunday. The team played without senior guard Erica Hallman, who was suspended for academic reasons. PAGE 10A
Index
10
Comics. ... 6A
Classifieds. ... 7A
Crossword. ... 6A
Horoscopes. ... 6A
Opinion. ... 5A
Sports. ... 10A
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All contents, unless stated otherwise.
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan.
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