MIAMI — A week after a fraternity got kicked off the University of Miami campus for chanting at a pool party about having sex with a dead woman, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers apologized Friday for the misogynistic lyrics and denied allegations of drugged drinks.
“The brothers of the former Florida Gamma Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon are deeply sorry for the chant prior to the October 1st event,” they said in a statement provided to the Herald about the Oct. 1 pool party that led to the national board suspending the UM chapter last Friday. “Repeating this chant was wholly inappropriate, reprehensible, and does not represent who we are. We apologize in the strongest possible terms to anyone hurt by the lyrics or our actions.”
The fraternity brothers denied accusations that they were drugging women’s drinks. The Miami Hurricane, the student newspaper that broke the story Sunday of the fraternity suspension, ran a video of the chanting and quoted a student, using only her first name, who said she attended the party. She said she and her friends “had like white powder” in their drinks and suspected they were being drugged, although they were not certain and did not get sick or pass out. Another woman, also identified only by her first name, said she had heard similar accounts through her sorority’s group chat.
“We also assert unequivocally that the allegations of drugging drinks are false,” the fraternity brothers said in their statement. “This did not happen. Further, the Dean of Students Office shared with us that the school has not received any named reports or any actionable evidence to investigate or verify these allegations. We understand that the case remains open in the event more information is shared. If you have information, we hope you report it.”
UM has not answered questions from the Herald about the spiked drinks’ allegations. The party was held off campus, at a house about 15 blocks west of the Coral Gables campus on Southwest 62nd Street.
Talk of “white powder” at the party and in drinks may have originated because a white sandy substance was scattered on the ground. The Herald obtained pictures that show Easy Sand 5 sandbags filled with a patching compound used to secure tent poles and to set up a volleyball court.
Some powder fell onto the stacks of red Solo cups used for drinks, and, when the supply of cups ran out, some that had fallen under tables were reused, the fraternity and another student say.
Three security guards — including one off-duty police officer — were hired for the party by the fraternity. Security is required by UM at frat house parties on campus. The guards were visible throughout the afternoon and did not report any problems, the Herald learned.
At least one neighbor called the police describing a rowdy bash where drunk partygoers urinated in people’s yards as music blared and cars blocked the street. Once the video of the chanting was widely circulated, people began criticizing the fraternity on social media, with one post saying “mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be frat boys.” Others have said such behavior is not out of the ordinary at college parties.
UM, SigEp tight-lipped
UM and the national headquarters of the fraternity, known as SigEp, haven’t provided much detail about what led to the shutdown. Nor have they answered multiple questions from the Herald about it. It’s unknown whether the chapter will return to campus.
In its initial statement, UM said it had received a video on Friday morning, Oct. 7, and ordered the fraternity to stop operating. UM then forwarded the video to the fraternity’s national headquarters, which suspended the UM chapter on Friday afternoon.
SigEp does not have a fraternity house on campus. Like some other UM fraternities and all sororities, it operates out of an office in the Panhellenic Building. Some UM fraternities have houses in and around San Amaro Drive, near Mark Light Field.
Bobby Scottland, a UM SigEp alumnus, class of 1990, said the party incident has been blown out of proportion due to rumors.
“I am upset that the Hurricane and some tabloids ran with the unconfirmed comments about alleged drugs and roofies, which the school found to be untrue,” said Scottland in an interview with the Herald. “The fraternity was not drugging people. I think if, God forbid, someone had been drugged or harmed, that is a totally different situation, and it probably would have come to light by now from the police or a hospital or the school.”
The Daily Beast ran a story saying fraternity “members were accused of drugging women” and said “a slew of young women” told the Hurricane they suspected they were drugged. The NY Post repeated the anonymous quotes from the Hurricane. The Daily Mail said, without any attribution, that “two young female attendees reported noticing white powder in their drinks.”
The Herald has not confirmed any of these allegations. Coral Gables and University of Miami police said they were aware of the story, but had not been contacted by anyone about any possible misconduct.
Scottland acknowledged the chanting, led by a member riling up the crowd, was revolting.
“That disgusting song should never be sung. It does not show SigEp in a good light, and any students who were stupid enough to sing it should be punished,” he said. “As alums, we always counsel the members, ‘What would you do if your mother or father was present? Act accordingly.’”
Investigations likely
UM and SigEp’s minimal communication may be because both the parent organization and the private university are carrying out independent investigations, which could stretch for months, experts on college fraternities say.
The inquiries could lead to disciplinary action against specific students and could also shape the future relationship between both parties. Depending on what they find, the chapter closure could be permanent or be only for a few months or years. Probation, too, is an option.
In 1993, the national board revoked the Sigma Phi Epsilon charter at UM for four years after two frat brothers were arrested on 14 felony counts related to manufacturing fake drivers’ licenses. The fraternity did not return until 2000.
Although the party took place off campus, UM could still sanction them. A university’s student code of conduct usually extend past the campus location, said Matthew Richardson, director of the Center for Fraternal Values and Leadership & Project 168 at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
UM spokeswoman Jacqueline Menendez said the university is investigating and encouraged anyone with information about it to come forward to the administration.
“University staff members have met with student groups throughout the week to address their concerns, and are encouraging students to report any additional information regarding this event, as we continue our investigation,” she said in an email to the Herald.
“If we receive reports of any behavior that violates our code of conduct, we would take immediate action in accordance with published policies and procedures. We strive to provide an educational and professional environment where every member of our community feels respected and safe.”
Scottland, the UM alum, said he is confident the national organization will conduct a thorough review of the incident.
“But do I think the chapter’s charter should be revoked? Over a nasty song? Absolutely not,” said Scottland, who condemned the chanting of “disgusting, horrible” lyrics. “We had some issues in the 1990s when we deserved to be suspended. In this case, those responsible should be held accountable, including the fraternity members and the student newspaper.”
Trying to avoid a PR crisis?
The approximately four-hour window — from the time the national fraternity officials received the video from UM at noon to closing the chapter around 4 p.m. — and the lack of public details have prompted some to speculate whether the fraternity had had a long history of reprimands. Some also have wondered whether UM and the fraternity suspect there’s a more serious allegation. Neither UM nor SigEp have clarified that.
Richardson of West Virginia University said every fraternity and sorority is independently owned and operates with its own polices, so the chapter closing doesn’t necessarily mean a history of misconduct or a specific offense.
“It really does depend on what the behavior was,” Richardson said. “We lack uniform codes of sanctioning. You can’t say if one person does X, that will ultimately result in sanctions A, B, C — that’s not typically how Greek organizations operate; every organization and every situation is different.”
Heather Matthews, the spokeswoman for the national fraternal organization, said the headquarters got the video and that it “showed SigEp members violating alcohol policies and chanting a deeply misogynistic song.”
“The national Fraternity felt the video provided enough information to make the determination that chapter closure was the best course of action,” she said. “Just as we have for the last 73 years, the national Fraternity would work in close partnership with the University of Miami to determine future plans for SigEp at UM.”
Jana Mathews, a professor of English at Rollins College in Winter Park and longtime campus fraternity adviser who recently published a book on fraternities and sororities, “The Benefit of Friends,” said UM and the fraternity’s national board probably moved quickly because both groups tried to avoid a public relations crisis.
“In this case, it was clear that this incident was a public embarrassment and cast the university and the fraternity in a really bad light,” Mathews said. “They wanted to save face, and they would have faced a bigger public outcry if they hadn’t acted in a 12-hour window on this, and they both knew it.”
It’s also in the best interest of all parties to prevent the misdeeds becoming public, which is why, Mathews said, both UM and the fraternity are now being “cagey.”
Pietro Sasso, a professor at the Center for Research Advancing Identities and Student Experiences at the Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, said the level of secrecy in disciplinary cases with Greek life usually depends on whether a student got hurt.
In cases like hazing, groups tend to be straightforward because of the legal implications. In Florida, hazing that results in seriously body injury or death is a felony that can lead to a five-year prison sentence.
But in other cases, the public reporting is more vague.
“Instances of alcohol and drug policies being broken, like a party, or where they got caught with sexist or racist remarks usually mean less transparency,” Sasso said.
‘Wink, wink, nod, nod’ between frats, schools
Mathews, the Rollins professor who wrote a book on Greek organizations, said the video is problematic mainly because the fraternity members are acting as if they are entitled to women and their bodies.
The yo-ho pirate song, she said, is widespread across college campuses and ingrained in tradition. Universities are generally aware of such behavior and turn a blind eye because they benefit from fraternities.
Fraternities provide housing through their frat houses, even if minimal. They help with recruiting because they’re appealing to freshmen, and provide a social scene in the form of alcohol-fused parties that colleges can’t legally host.
“Also, as a general rule, their students come from the upper middle class — if not upper class — so they bring lots of money to an institution in terms of tuition and alumni giving,” she said.
“It’s sort of this wink, wink, nod, nod,” she said.
Richardson said universities need to take “very strong public stances” to educate and foster meaningful conversations.
At West Virginia University, where he works, five fraternities dissociated from the university in 2018 because they disagreed with official regulations. That, Richardson said, is what strict universities face.
Even so, it’s hard to change the frat culture.
“The reality is until someone in that organization says ‘enough’ and carries enough influence to make it stop, it’s not going to stop,” he said. “It’s not going to stop by some dude sitting in his office writing policy.”
