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TechnographOther campuses: Pledge event sparks investigation
By Lauren Sloss
Posted: 2/25/05 Section: News
(U-WIRE) PHILADELPHIA - University of Pennsylvania chapters of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Chi Omega sorority are currently under investigation for complaints about destructive behavior at a recent pledge event.
The Feb. 4 event - a snow-tubing outing attended by approximately 120 members of the two chapters - resulted in claims by the owners of Spring Mountain ski resort of disorderly conduct and damage to a restroom.
The Office of Student Conduct is looking into the allegations.
Neither the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs nor the individual chapters would comment on the situation until the investigation is complete.
Spring Mountain owner Gayle Buckman said that upon the arrival of the first bus of students around 7 p.m., it was immediately clear that they had been drinking.
"They obviously smelled of alcohol," she said.
Buckman said that she had warned the Kappa Sigma brothers - who had made the reservation - that no misconduct would be tolerated. She said she was wary of booking a fraternity in the first place due to problems with similar groups unaffiliated with Penn in the past. Kappa Sigma had assured her that there would be no problems.
Buckman said that the first group attempted to take soda bottles up the mountain with them. She forced them to dispose of the bottles before allowing them to proceed.
One of the initial problems, the owner said, was use of profanity by members of the group. She said that birthday parties were occurring simultaneously and parents were complaining to Spring Mountain workers. This led Buckman to send members of the ski patrol to stand with the students while they waited in line.
"They just didn't care," she said. "That was the most upsetting to us."
Buckman was watching the group from her window when she saw a member of Kappa Sigma attempting to ride his snow tube down the side of the mountain reserved for skiing - an action she described as "basically suicide."
The Feb. 4 event - a snow-tubing outing attended by approximately 120 members of the two chapters - resulted in claims by the owners of Spring Mountain ski resort of disorderly conduct and damage to a restroom.
The Office of Student Conduct is looking into the allegations.
Neither the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs nor the individual chapters would comment on the situation until the investigation is complete.
Spring Mountain owner Gayle Buckman said that upon the arrival of the first bus of students around 7 p.m., it was immediately clear that they had been drinking.
"They obviously smelled of alcohol," she said.
Buckman said that she had warned the Kappa Sigma brothers - who had made the reservation - that no misconduct would be tolerated. She said she was wary of booking a fraternity in the first place due to problems with similar groups unaffiliated with Penn in the past. Kappa Sigma had assured her that there would be no problems.
Buckman said that the first group attempted to take soda bottles up the mountain with them. She forced them to dispose of the bottles before allowing them to proceed.
One of the initial problems, the owner said, was use of profanity by members of the group. She said that birthday parties were occurring simultaneously and parents were complaining to Spring Mountain workers. This led Buckman to send members of the ski patrol to stand with the students while they waited in line.
"They just didn't care," she said. "That was the most upsetting to us."
Buckman was watching the group from her window when she saw a member of Kappa Sigma attempting to ride his snow tube down the side of the mountain reserved for skiing - an action she described as "basically suicide."
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