National frat orders indefinite pledge moratorium

The international chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity has indefinitely halted accepting new members after the death of a pledge at the fraternity's chapter at Southeast Missouri State University. Last February, SMSU student Michael Davis died after suffering fatal head wounds during a hazing-related incident at the college. Seven of 16 men allegedly involved in the hazing incident have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Four have plead guilty to the charges and agreed to testify against others in exchange for reduced sentences. And one other defendant has been found guilty by a jury. College senior Marcus Guillory, a member of the Philadelphia-area chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, said that while the incident is shocking, the issue of nationwide punishment is questionable. "I understand why it's being done, and I don't argue with that," Guillory said. "Whether or not it should be national is another question." Bicultural InterGreek Council President Wayne Wilson agreed, citing the fact that innocent parties will suffer because of others' transgressions. "I understand why they did it, but I am not in total agreement with it," Wilson said. "University chapters like the chapter here at Penn are going to be punished for it." The local fraternity chapter encompasses six local schools. "I'm not saying that the people should not be punished," Wilson said, "but all those people who had nothing to do with it are going to be penalized." He went on to address the incident itself, pointing out the detrimental consequences on Kappa Alpha Psi and the entire Greek system. "It's going to have a negative impact on the fraternity and the Greek system as a whole," Wilson said. "The organization is dedicated to doing a lot of positive things -- that's what it was founded on. "All the focus is going to turn towards the negative," he said. Executive Director of the international chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi W.T. Smith said that the isolated incident at SMSU should not cast a shadow on the entire organization. "You don't take the tragedy to measure the effectiveness of the entire organization," Smith said, adding that he hopes the bad does not outshine the good. "On a personal note, we have far more positive accomplishments and achievements," he said. "It is merely the small mishaps which attempt to discredit an entire organization." In addition to the pledge moratorium, a task force has been appointed to re-evaluate the membership intake process for the fraternity, Smith said. The task force, however, will not seek to revamp the intake program, which Smith sees as a favorable one. What it will do, he explained, will be to establish how to better enforce it. "It is not our intent to change the program," Smith said. The task force is scheduled to meet in October, and will make a report to the fraternity's board of directors in February. The fraternity abolished pledging in 1990 in favor of the current intake program. The program differs from a pledge policy in that "it's all educational and there's nothing in it that requires physical [involvement]," Wilson said. According to Guillory, Davis's death should prompt all of those involved in Greek life to consider the purpose behind their organization. "It should allow everyone to reflect on their dedication to their fraternity, to keep in mind that their's is a more noble aim to achieve, and to not subject themselves to subservience just to prove their dedication," he said. The Philadelphia Inquirer contributed to this story.

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