KSK at Harding hazers "disbanded"

[hoosier]

Harding inquiry settled


Wednesday, November 16, 2005 6:23 PM CST


Student club disbanded for misconduct
By Philip Holsinger

The Daily Citizen
Harding University officials do not know whether or not a group of students took part in illegal hazing activities, officials say, but they have decided to take disciplinary action against the students for breaking the school’s code of conduct.

Following a week-long investigation into allegations that university students had participated in hazing activities as part of student club pledge week at Harding, officials declared they had disbanded one of Harding’s student social clubs.
Hazing is against Arkansas state law.

In a press release sent out Wednesday, Harding spokesperson David Crouch wrote that the university has formally disbanded the student social club Kappa Sigma Kappa (known commonly as Sigs) for engaging in “inappropriate behavior and activities that violated the university’s student code of conduct.”
An investigation was opened into the matter last week after the Dean of Student Services, David Collins, was informed of possible hazing activities taking part on campus.

During student club pledge week, club members and pledges participate in events and activities that mirror the events of fraternities and sororities across the nation.
In an earlier Daily Citizen article published Nov. 13, a Harding student claiming to be a member of the club Pai Kappa Epsilon (known as Pikes) claimed not only that he was a member of the club, but that Pai Kappa Epsilon was the club under investigation. The university had not released the name of the club under investigation at that time.
Neither was this student a member of the club, nor was he right in what club was being investigated.
The now disbanded Kappa Sigma Kappa had been on probation since last year and had received disciplinary action before, Crouch said Wednesday.
According to statements issued by Dean of Student Services David Collins, through a letter from Crouch, this recent wrong-doing “was an isolated incident during this year’s club induction week.”
No criminal complaint has been filed with local police or with campus security in the matter, Crouch said again Wednesday. According the Crouch press release, “We, Harding Administrators, can’t speak as to whether or not the club’s behavior is hazing as derived by Arkansas state statutes.”
Crouch did not know how many students were being disciplined or by what measure their discipline would be meted out.
“Harding has long held the policy of not releasing the names of students involved in disciplinary actions, nor doe the university release the circumstances of alleged misconduct,” Crouch said.

[PsychTau2]

Originally posted by hoosier
During student club pledge week, club members and pledges participate in events and activities that mirror the events of fraternities and sororities across the nation.

Actually.... unless things have drastically changed recently, their pledge week is full of activities that are considered hazing, including dressing up in weird costumes/not changing clothes the entire week, carrying stuff around, late night scavenger hunts.

And before we start debating whether or not those activites are all that bad...you have to know that this school sees GLOs as evil and demeaning and elitist, and the Pledge Week (totally overseen and supported by the school admins) gives everyone a chance to be equal and to participate in something better than those National Greek orgs could ever offer. (Remember, this was in the early 90's...admin may have changed).

And what's up with the Greek letter names? In the 90's the names weren't Greek letters (I don't think they were allowed to be)...I knew people in Kingsman, Sub T-16, and one group that had a Japanese name that I can't remember. There were more, but I don't think any of them were Greek names.

I'd like to see how the Pledge Week activites compare to the AR state hazing law.

PsychTau

ETA: Obviously I don't view Harding in a favorable light. I'm not trying to offend any Harding students or alums...but I just don't like the place.

[lifesaver]

KSK???

Sounds made up to me. Are they sure they were a real fraternity?

Sorry I dont know these things. I'm in a top ten group. I only know us (top ten) and the NPC & NPHC groups. The rest are too many to keep up with. I just assume the rest are made up if I havent ever met a real one.

I'm an asshole like that, but its OK.

[FSUZeta]

it never ceases to amaze me that colleges that will not allow national greek organizations who have guidelines, rules and consequences and local advisors, will allow local groups who answer to no one.

[33girl]

Originally posted by FSUZeta
it never ceases to amaze me that colleges that will not allow national greek organizations who have guidelines, rules and consequences and local advisors, will allow local groups who answer to no one.

Correction. They have to answer to the college.

If the college gets a burr up their butt and decides that ABC has done something wrong, whether they have or not, they can kick them off campus. ABC has no national group to go to, no national alumnae, no recourse unless they have lots of rich alums who donate a lot and threaten to withhold donations.

If XYZ has lots of rich alums that donate all the time, they can be screwing a goat in the quad and stay on campus, because they have no national org that will discipline them.

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally posted by 33girl
Correction. They have to answer to the college.

If the college gets a burr up their butt and decides that ABC has done something wrong, whether they have or not, they can kick them off campus. ABC has no national group to go to, no national alumnae, no recourse unless they have lots of rich alums who donate a lot and threaten to withhold donations.

Exactly. Our charter is held by the college. While it means that we may not be disbanded for low numbers, we can still be disbanded really at the university's whim. Most infractions are dealt with through Greek Governance, but the university can and has overridden UGGB decisions (made punishments more severe).

it never ceases to amaze me that colleges that will not allow national greek organizations who have guidelines, rules and consequences and local advisors, will allow local groups who answer to no one.

and it never ceases to amaze me that national greek organizations have these rules and still violate them.

The reason we are here is that our clubs are very tightly tied to the history of our college. Our members are literally the founding pillars of Otterbein. We take our traditions and our responsibility very seriously. To say that we answer to no one is wrong, we answer to a very long list of Panhellenic alumns, our own exec boards, advisors, college admin, and Greek admin. We have plenty to lose, not the least of which is the trust and respect of our alumni (who can also chose to disband us).

And to be honest, if we DID import national orgs to replace our groups, I think membership would die out due to the cost and the lack of alumn support here. Our Alumni come back to their fraternities and their sororities and sing the same chants, with the same letters, year after year. We have a picture of a 103 year old founding sister in our house. The history of Tau Delta is there, and it has been for 85+ years, and it will remain there for another 85+ years, with its own governance, because our sorority and our Greek system can stand alone as it has since before we were Greek lettered.

[Koinoinia]

KSK is a real club. I am a student at Harding..

KSK are the english letters that stand for Kappa Sigma Kappa... and harding has always had clubs that use greek letters... there are the clubs with the japanese names still (ju go ju and Ko Jo Kai -- girls' clubs)
Sub-T 16 and Kings Men are still around, too.. but there are (and always have been) clubs that use greek letters..

I personally am glad that Kappa Swigs was disbanded.. they were not on the top of my list of good guys. anyway..

By the way... you should probably ask someone who knows about the school before you spread misinformation... not that I really care, but some people are jerks when it comes to factual info...

have any questions? feel free to ask me.

**edit** and in the original post... PIKES is not "pai kappa epsilon".. it's just PI kappa epsilon for future reference.

[PsychTau2]

Originally posted by Koinoinia
(ju go ju and Ko Jo Kai -- girls' clubs)

Ju go ju....I know someone in that group as well, but couldn't think of the name for it!!

By the way... you should probably ask someone who knows about the school before you spread misinformation... not that I really care, but some people are jerks when it comes to factual info...

If you're referring to me...I dated a Sub T brother...he joined in the early 90's though, and my information comes from his experiences (and the Ju go ju member told me some things as well), so if things have changed since his pledge week...good job!! Glad to see things are moving forward there.

What groups are there?

PsychTau

[Koinoinia]

Sub-T was almost disbanded because they got so small, but some guys from other clubs (Pi Kappa Epsilon, TNT and TITANS) jumped to save them. So I have heard that with different kinds of guys in it, Sub-T has changed. I have also heard that Sub-T used to be full of jerks...
--------------
Guys Clubs
--------------
*Titans
*Pi Kappa Epsilon
*TNT
*Kings Men
*Gamma Sigma Phi
*Theta Psi Kappa (formerly Kappa Gamma Beta or KGB)
*Beta Omega Chi
*Chi Lambda Chi
*Seminoles
*Theta Nu Xi
*Chi Sigma Alpha
*Alpha Tau Epsilon
*Delta Chi Delta
*Knights
*Sub-T 16
----------------
Girls Clubs
----------------
*Shantih
*Regina
*Iota Chi
*Chi Omega Pi
*Chi Kappa Rho
*Zeta Rho
*Ju Go Ju
*Ko Jo Kai
*GATA
*Delta Gamma Rho
*Iota Chi
*Kappa Gamma Epsilon
*OEGE
*Omega Lambda Chi
*Pi Theta Phi
*Tri Kappa (recently disbanded around the same time as their brother club Kappa Sigma Kappa, but because of size, not hazing possibilities)

And, no, I wasn't really aiming that statement at you or anyone else that has posted here... since you kind of know what you are talking about... but some people think they know what Harding and it's clubs are all about and they have no clue.. and they would rather spread rumors than actually ask someone who knows what is going on.

[preciousjeni]

Originally posted by Koinoinia
*Theta Nu Xi

Boy Theta Nu Xis!!

[PhrozenGod01]

*Tri Kappa (recently disbanded around the same time as their brother club Kappa Sigma Kappa, but because of size, not hazing possibilities)

Tri Kappa? WTF???

[PsychTau2]

Originally posted by Koinoinia
I have also heard that Sub-T used to be full of jerks...

Well...he did cheat on me... but then I met my husband so it's all good! I do remember seeing his organization yearbook picture being taken in front of the White County Detention Center....

I also remember hearing something about a Tri Kappa there and I always thought that was a little odd...why would a school like Harding allow one of it's clubs to have a name like that? Especially with the Klan's historical ties to northern Arkansas.

Are the Greek lettered clubs newer? I don't remember there being quite that many in the 90's (but I may have forgotten a lot of details...)

PsychTau

[AlphaFrog]

Originally posted by PhrozenGod01
Tri Kappa? WTF???

Oh god...not this again...

Yes there are groups that are Tri-Kappa, and no they are not part of the Ku Klux Klan.

[PhrozenGod01]

Oh god...not this again...

Yes there are groups that are Tri-Kappa, and no they are not part of the Ku Klux Klan.

I know. But unless the group was founded before 1867, it just makes sense to picture what that looks like on a sweatshirt when planning everything. Either way, I just wanted to say something. I haven't said anything in a while. To be honest, I never heard of Harding until I got on GC. I'm not fuming mad, just shaking my head in sarcasm.

[33girl]

Originally posted by PhrozenGod01
I know. But unless the group was founded before 1867, it just makes sense to picture what that looks like on a sweatshirt when planning everything.

I think you mean after. Sorority ladies didn't wear sweatshirts in 1867.