Greek Affairs office takes on illegal frats

The Office of Greek Affairs has started a campaign this semester to educate students and steer them clear from illegitimate organizations operating as off-campus fraternities.

Effective as of last fall, it is now a violation of the UB Student Code of Conduct to affiliate with unrecognized groups, including those fraudulently portraying themselves as fraternities. These groups - Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Alpha Mu, Delta Sigma Phi, Zeta Beta Tau, Kappa Sigma and Alpha Tau Omega - all had chapters affiliated with UB at one time, but have all been closed within the past 10 years.

Since the chapters were shut down, some students have taken on the fraternities' names and symbols and are operating on their own in the Buffalo community, according to the Office of Greek Affairs.

"These six organizations are portraying themselves as fraternal organizations but they actually aren't," said Pamela Stephens-Jackson, the university liaison for Greek Affairs. "All of these groups were once part of the Greek life on campus and have been given the opportunity to rejoin, but they chose to remain unaffiliated."

Some students who joined illegal frats say they are aware of the risks, but aren't concerned about the consequences of joining.

"Me and my friends just wanted to try a new thing, so we pledged this frat," said a member of the illegal Zeta Beta Tau, who wished to remain anonymous. "It's fun and we like the guys in here, that's all that matters to us. If something goes wrong, being unrecognized will cause us extra trouble, but I'm really not that concerned about it. We're just here to have fun."

These groups can be hazardous to students who choose to join and make it more difficult for legitimate, UB-affiliated fraternities to operate in the community, say members of legal frats.

"They're not really there for the good of the community. They're just there for partying and can be dangerous. Some frats are out there for tradition and to help the community, not these groups," said Dan Farr, a freshman business administration major and member of a UB-recognized fraternity. "I won't say that these groups shouldn't exist, but they give frats a bad reputation. When you tell people you're in a frat, they assume that you're just there to party and hook up, not for the good of the community."

Many of the "horror stories" associated with UB fraternities come from the illegal frats, according to Nick Mason, member of a legal frat.

"We do our fair share of bad stuff, but it makes everyone look bad when you hear the stories about what these frats have done," said Mason, a junior mathematics major. "People assume that it's all frats, so we get a bad rep too. We're no angels, but we definitely haven't earned the rep that we're given. You seriously hear horror stories from people about the hazing and partying that goes on in these off-campus frats."

Because the groups aren't affiliated with UB, they don't have to adhere to the same rules as the fraternities that are affiliated, Stephens-Jackson said. The lack of regulations leads to longer and more dangerous rush events, wilder parties, and no recourse for students or community members who are negatively affected by these groups.

"These groups get a bigger draw, due to the fact that they're unmonitored and they have no rules to adhere to. They don't have to get rush activities approved, they don't have to register their rosters with the Office of Greek Affairs, and they don't have to get their flyers approved," Stephens-Jackson said. "The bottom line is, they're tarnishing the reputations of these fraternities as well as every other fraternity. I'd never say that the 42 groups we have are angels, but these six are 100 times worse."

Participation in these organizations is a violation of the UB Student Code of Conduct, and the use of the fraternities' symbols is a violation of federal copyright laws. If students are caught participating in these organizations, they can face suspension and even expulsion from UB as well criminal charges, according to Elizabeth Lidano, director of judicial affairs and student advocacy.

"Usually, students are caught doing something else, but if they're found to be associated with an organization that isn't recognized on campus, or even banned from the campus, there will be additional sanctions involved," Lidano said. "There are no specific sanctions for these situations, because every one is different. Each incident is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but the involvement with unrecognized organizations will increase the charges."

In Stephens-Jackson's opinion, students receive too few long-term benefits to make the risks of joining illegal frats worthwhile.

"These are social organizations only. The dues these students are paying go towards the parties thrown by these groups, and the groups do not benefit students once they graduate," Stephens-Jackson said. "What a lot of students don't realize is that they're not going to get anything from these groups after graduation. They won't get the benefit of networking or scholarships. These groups are not beneficial to the UB community at all."