Acacia, TEP rushes undaunted by probe

Freshmen and sophomores who had spent the last six weeks rushing Tau Epsilon Phi and Acacia fraternities said last night they did not intend to change their plans to sign bids for the fraternities, despite findings of collective responsibility for hazing and sexual harassment. "I thought about it and decided to continue with the bid process," College sophomore and Acacia rush Geoff Ott said last night. "I'm here and I might as well stay here." But many rushes from both fraternities said last night that neither fraternity informed them of the ongoing investigations, which began last year. They also said they were not aware of the potential sanctions the fraternities could receive. Many signed with fraternities last night at Bid Night -- the annual event when rushes officially designate which fraternity they will pledge. Tricia Phaup, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, and Interim Judicial Inquiry Officer Jane Combrinck-Graham said yesterday that according to University procedures, each fraternity could face a wide range of penalties from probation to revocation of their charters. Several TEP rushes said last night that they were unaware of the investigation or had heard of it only informally. One said he overheard brothers discussing it and another said he had heard it from individuals outside the fraternity. "We were not told, but they probably will tell us after we get our bids," said another TEP rush, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I think they should tell us, but I would stay because I really enjoy TEP a lot." TEP president Jeremy Sokolic declined to comment and Acacia president Brian Baxt did not return phone messages placed at his home yesterday. One Acacia rush, College and Engineering sophomore Matt Bixler, said he has known of the event since last semester, but was "honored" to pledge Acacia. "I know what the problem is, I've known about it," Bixler said. "It's something that got out of control." "After I read it, I was feeling a little 'uh-oh,' " the College freshman said. "But I talked to some brothers about it and they said they wouldn't be caught with a major offense." Combrinck-Graham said yesterday that she did not know whether the fraternities had informed their rushes and added that it is not in her jurisdiction. "In general, I certainly think that one of the reasons why organizations can get themselves as a body in trouble is because they don't promptly keep their members informed of developments that have an impact on the body," Combrinck-Graham said. "But there is no requirement in the policies and procedures that they do it."

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