With the Interfraternity Council and the
Panhellenic Association in the midst of repairing their own images
following their recent expulsion from a University-funded retreat,
the last thing the Greek system need now is another embarrassing
event tarnishing its reputation.
- Laura Wong
Friday night, however, it got exactly that, when members of
Sigma Alpha Epsilon allegedly attempted to forcibly enter the Delta
Kappa Epsilon fraternity. While the specifics of the incident
remain unclear, those at the scene have estimated that dozens of
students were involved. A number students were injured, and a good
deal of damage was done to the house. One thing is clear: The
ensuing altercation involved a number of students from both
fraternities and only added to the troubles currently facing the
Greek system.
The error in such behavior is self-explanatory, and all those
involved should recognize that their actions will only serve to
assist those looking to impose new regulations on fraternities and
sororities. This is a time for prudent action, not scandal, but the
embarrassing string of events that have involved the Greek system
over the academic year have given detractors plenty of
ammunition.
As embarrassing as the evenings events were to the fraternities
involved, the response, or lack thereof, on the part of the Ann
Arbor Police Department is difficult to understand. That night,
three calls were made to the AAPD, and after police arrived on the
scene, they were met with the aftermath of a large-scale assault
and evident destruction of property. However, instead of taking
seriously the severity and scale of the altercation, the officers
did little more than issue alcohol-related citations.
While a lack of formal charges on the part of the participants
would preclude any sort of substantive investigation, students at
the scene have complained that officers showed very little
initiative in their handling of the situation.
Confirming this total lack of concern were the comments of one
officer, Sgt. Tom Seyfried, who in Monday’s Daily referred to
the brawl as “childish nonsense,” and said that the
AAPD has “more important crimes to pursue.”
However, the incident was obviously important enough to those
who called and requested the assistance of the police, and it was
certainly important enough to warrant a little more concern on the
part of Seyfried. Furthermore, while Seyfried was able to dismiss
the assault and the destruction of property as “childish
nonsense,” other officers were not as particular and were
more than willing to take the time to issue citations at the
scene.
Regardless of whether the officers who responded to the call
were able to investigate the situation further, the comments made
on the part of the AAPD reflect an unacceptable dismissal of a
gross disturbance of the peace. While the students in question
behaved in a manner that is without doubt immature and
inappropriate, these same students deserve better than what they
got from Ann Arbor’s finest.