Caution Is In at SDSU in Wake of Fraternity Ouster

Students and staff at San Diego State University Friday predicted changes in social life at the school in the aftermath of the university’s five-year expulsion of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for sex and alcohol offenses during a party last November.

As students voiced either satisfaction at the verdict or sympathy for the fraternity, the university made good on its threat to take action against 30 fraternity members by mailing letters charging them with a variety of offenses in connection with the party, spokesman Sue Raney said.

Students and staff predicted more caution from fraternity members about use of alcohol and more concern for safety of members and guests at parties as a result of a penalty that many viewed as the university’s attempt to set an example for other fraternities.

“I don’t think any of the frats can overlook the decision by the university,” said Amy Heiss, co-coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center. “They all are going to have to think about it.”

SDSU on Thursday found the fraternity guilty of “physical abuse; lewd, indecent and obscene behavior; abusive behavior and hazing; alcoholic beverage violations; and obstructing the university’s disciplinary process by intentionally destroying evidence.”

The charges were in connection with a Nov. 14 party at which an 18-year-old Delta Gamma sorority pledge claimed she was raped after drinking what she believed was non-alcoholic punch. The county district attorney’s office in December refused to file criminal charges in the case, saying prosecutors could not prove a rape occurred.

The fraternity has promised to appeal the university’s decision, which expels Pi Kappa Alpha from campus for at least five years.

Doug Case, adviser to the fraternities, predicted that by next fall, San Diego State’s 16 campus fraternities would impose bans on open parties and serving alcohol during “rush”--recruitment events held at the beginning of each semester. San Diego State’s 11 sororities already have policies prohibiting alcohol in houses.

Case also noted the scheduling of a seminar on sexual harassment--a topic he said students resisted in the past--at an upcoming fraternity and sorority retreat. “Students are more receptive . . . because of the incident,” he said. “The whole incident, plus the severity of the sanctions, has caused everybody in the Greek (fraternity and sorority) system to stop and think.”

A ban on alcohol at rush events would add San Diego State to a rapidly growing list of campuses with such prohibitions, said Robert Marchesani, assistant executive director of the National Interfraternity Conference in Indianapolis. About 250 college campuses now hold so-called “dry” rushes, up from about 50 schools in 1983, he said.

At Delta Upsilon’s traditional Friday afternoon party, a large sign announced the availability of non-alcoholic drinks along with beer being served to students with proper identification. The sign, next to a larger one reading “College Liquor Store for party animals,” is a new addition this semester, said Delta Upsilon member Tony Yates.

Pi Kappa Alpha members reported gestures of both support and contempt from students during the day. Fraternity President Jeff Gattas said that a nearby sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, sent a note saying that “we understand that the next few years will be trying times for your chapter. We wish you the best of luck.”

And Delta Upsilon fraternity invited the fraternity members to its afternoon party with a note that read, “Our deepest sympathies, the men of DU,” Gattas said.

But other students honked horns and made obscene gestures at Pi Kappa Alpha leader Ken Smerz, who was prominently displayed on television and in newspapers during press conferences held Thursday.

“We as a fraternity have been reprimanded severely,” Smerz said. “In a lot of people’s eyes, throughout the community and on campus, we have been found guilty. And that’s what’s going to tear us apart the most.

“You get dirty looks around campus if you wear your letters. You look up and somebody’s giving you a dirty look, and you say ‘Oh my God, they think I’m a rapist.’ And that hurts,” Smerz said.

Since the incident last November, the fraternity has had its letters torn off its College Avenue building and the slogan “rapist pigs” painted on outside walls. Just before Thanksgiving, a brick was tossed through the fraternity’s window, narrowly missing Smerz’s head, he said.

Julie K. Erhart, who co-authored a study that found fraternities to be frequent sites of similar incidents, applauded the sanctions against Pi Kappa Alpha, and said it was the most severe she had heard of. Erhart is a member of the American Assn. of Colleges’ Project on the Status and Education of Women in Washington.

But Marchesani of the National Interfraternity Conference said the penalty was “unreasonable” because the violations were committed by a few individuals. “If it happened in a dorm room, it would be like disciplining the entire dormitory,” Marchesani said.

At SDSU, opinion was also divided. “We were pretty happy with the decision that was made,” said Heiss of the Women’s Resource Center. “It’s been a big relief that some action was finally taken.”

“With all the controversy and everything, I think they should have gotten penalized by state,” said Yates, the fraternity member. “But I think five years is a little too long.”