I’m
a proud lifetime member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and one who has benefitted greatly
from my fraternity association. The Sig
Eps provided mentorship, brotherhood and a goal- oriented, leadership building path
for me to follow - all thanks to Big Brother Bud Moore. All but one of my Buxton
Brothers were Greek including one who is a fellow Sig Ep. My Dad was a Phi
Delta Theta as were three generations of Buxtons before him. Dad was wearing his Phi Delt ring when he
passed to his great reward. Grandfather Littlefield was a DTD at Dartmouth. No, we don’t think the Greek system broken as
some – mostly from outside the system – might suggest. It does take a far more mature approach and
commitment to honestly benefit and forward the very positive agenda of the
Greek Fraternity and Sorority system. Having said that, not all initiates ultimately
prove their worthiness. It is a lifelong quest…
Fraternities
by their very nature are highly selective and discriminate in order to attract
and retain those with the highest character and personality that will not only
benefit from but also contribute to the goals and mission of their
organizations. They mostly get it right
but occasionally poor decisions are made though some hope that their positive influence
will allow for ultimate success. The Sig
Ep Balanced Man Program follows that path.
The news is full of those who pervert or skew what fraternity is all
about though the greater majority of the time those organizations bring honor
and glory to their name. The goals of
developing character, leadership skills, philanthropy and camaraderie based on “the
love of God and the principle of peace through Brotherhood” are impressive and
achievable. What happened at SMU recently
demonstrates that we have some work to do though we caution that despite some already
drawn conclusions, all is not necessarily what it appears to be.
From
what we have been able to determine, it is alleged that several members of Lambda Chi Alpha (LXA) were
caught engaging what they call – pranking – in this case, the ritual spray
painting of the now iconic red front door of the Sig Ep House. One of the LXA members ended up in the Sig Ep
house and whether voluntarily or forced (that is yet to be determined), claims that
he was beaten and held against his will. This alleged response, if proved,
however perceived as well deserved, was as bad as or worse than the prank. Our Red
Door – long a symbol of welcome - has been the target of vandals and misguided
pranksters - many times alcohol motivated - who think it funny to desecrate one
of the more sacred symbols of our organization.
Indeed,
mischievous members of other fraternities or pretenders haven’t just singled out
the Sig Eps historically. In that same
spirit other immature ne’er-do-wells have painted, tarred and feathered
and even urinated on the SAE lions - even removed Greek letters from fraternity
houses. We could go on and on with examples of immature behavior from so-called
future leaders (no boys will be boys here…).
SMU
and their University Police have come to the conclusion that four Sig Eps were,
“guilty of violations of the SMU Student Code of Conduct and University
policies, as well as the standards and values of the fraternity itself." We note that they are also facing criminal
charges “stemming from the attack.” SMU then suspended Sigma Phi Epsilon for
two years though it now appears they could be back on campus as early as the fall
of 2014.
While
we abhor and do not condone the alleged immature, over-the-top response by some
SMU Sig Eps, we think this looks an awful lot like “who threw the first punch?”
We ask, What about Lambda Chi whose
members were surely complicit in the “prank” against the Sig Eps that prompted
the response? The defense mounted by the
Sig Eps legal counsel seems plausible coupled with an attempt by the Lambda
Chis to deflect from their participation in this whole affair. The Sig Eps didn’t “prank” anybody as
reported in the media… They probably just threw that second punch…
Notice
to those that engaged the vandalism against the Sig Eps and think it funny. This was a violation of the SMU Code of
Student Conduct and probably about a dozen laws of University Park, Texas. If I were a member of the Texas Upsilon Chapter
of Sigma Phi Epsilon and the identities of the perpetrators were ultimately determined,
I would have recommended filing formal charges against all of them. It was funny, you say… See how funny it potentially is from the
inside of a jail cell. It’s time to grow
up.
We
certainly understand why some members of Sigma Phi Epsilon may have responded violently
to the vandalism though there was no excuse for those behaviors. If true, this was a grievous lapse in the
basic philosophy of Sigma Phi Epsilon and our Balanced Man Program. These
Brothers and probably some other members of that now suspended chapter now have
to defend themselves and their reputation.
All need to heed the message that however justified they feel, taking
the law into your own hands is unwise, illegal
and not an option. We have been charged as Sig Eps to be different - to be
above the Madding Crowd.
We
can’t allow violence to begat a violent response - a strategy that would most certainly
be denounced by our Founders. Surely the
more mature and certainly the most responsible way to respond to this situation
is not to, turn the other cheek,” rather call law enforcement and let them pursue
the matter along with the University and the IFC. And how about an immediate
ban on any tweets or other social media comments about the incident?
So
what of the role of Lambda Chi Alpha in this whole mess? It certainly appears
that some of their members were responsible for the act that precipitated whatever
the Sig Ep response was. We wonder after
having vandalized the Sig Ep house and losing one of their members, no attempt
was made to retrieve him. How about a
knock on the door, an apology and offer to repair the damage? It will be
interesting how the lawyers spin this one…
If
it is legally determined that the Lambda Chi’s were complicit in the vandalism
against the Sig Ep house (if it goes that far) then they should be as severely
sanctioned as the Sig Eps and all other organizations who should be held
responsible for violations of the law and the Code of Student Conduct by their members. They need be held accountable to the
university, their national organizations, law enforcement and ultimately their
own conscience.
We
noted that the SMU Lambda Chi’s had previously come under the scrutiny of their
national headquarters for so called “risk management violations” in 2009 which
resulted in the expulsion of 35 members of LXA in 2010.
Membership
in a Greek Fraternity/Sorority is a privilege and a life-long commitment. Like any organization, there are obligations
which accompany membership - to abide by the principles of their Fraternity and
charter. They are only as good as their
last at bat – in this case their last interaction with anybody whether it be Brother,
Pledge, the University, fellow student or anybody else on or off the
street. If you can’t embrace and abide
by the rules, regulations and by-laws of your sponsoring organization,
University and local and national laws, then you don’t deserve to be a part of
that group. You have to continually
prove that you deserve the honor and privilege of being embraced as a part of
that group. It’s an earned benefit not a
right or entitlement – you earn those Sanguine
et Purpure colors every day of the year for the rest of your life.
If
you are looking for a good party or just another chance to push the boundaries
of acceptable behaviors in an illegal cartel disguised as a fraternity, please
don’t even approach the Sig Eps. They’re
working to get it right. A little weed and feed across the board apparently
wouldn’t hurt…
So,
continue to counsel and remind Sig Eps and the members of all Greek Fraternities
and Sororities of their pledge to embrace and live by their organization’s core
values and continue to responsibly prepare themselves to be good citizens and stewards
of our planet. They could be the last bastion and defenders of our way of life…
Aye,
Ned
Buxton
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