[hoosier]

[ Monday, Feb. 14, 2005 ]

Penn State Fraternity fines members for not going canning
For every Thon fund-raising weekend missed, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 200 E. Beaver Ave., charges $30.
By Joelle Hutcheon
Collegian Staff Writer

A chapter in the greek community has taken it upon themselves to ensure members participate in canning weekends for the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, 200 E. Beaver Ave., recently started to fine members who do not participate in canning weekends.

Fraternity President Chris Beans said a member is fined $30 for every trip missed.

A member could receive up to $120 in fines if he misses all four canning trips. "It's really a new thing I started when I took over," Beans said.

He added that the fines are there to make sure all available members participate in raising money for Thon.

"We encourage all the guys -- Thon is a very important thing," Beans said.

Evan Jacobs, Thon rules and regulations overall, said Thon is a student-run philanthropy, therefore all money raised is on the basis of volunteering.

He added that Thon organizers do not promote the fines.

Jacobs said that although raising money for Thon is not a competition, members of organizations are allowed to give out fines based on their own standards. He added that members of these organizations should be aware of the individual policies.

Interfraternity Council (IFC) Associate Vice President A.J. Jugan, the council's Thon liaison, said most of the time the fine does not come straight out of a fraternity member's pocket.

"We never want to force people to raise money by any means," he said.

Jugan added that many fraternities set a target fund-raising number to keep members on pace.

If a fraternity member misses a canning weekend, he would then be responsible for raising an extra amount of money during the next canning trip.

Colleen Briley, Panhellenic Council (PHC) president, said she has not heard of any sororities that fine their members for not attending canning trips. "I think it is up to the individual organization what they decide on," she said.

Briley added that individual sorority chapters would have to agree to a sorority giving sanctions for not canning. PHC does not force any sorority to participate in canning weekends, she added.

Scott Fortner (sophomore-supply chain management), a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said he missed the first Thon canning weekend and was threatened with a fine, but it never went through. "I think it is a good way to get people going," he said.

Fortner added that most of the members in the house attend the canning trips, but there are always a few that wind up staying behind.

Former IFC President Andy Hackett said his fraternity, Sigma Nu, 340 N. Burrowes Road, does not sanction members who do not go canning, but he has heard of other fraternities that do. "I've heard some sort of consequences for certain fraternities," he said. "But to stress on individual trips, I have not heard of that."