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Notorious Sigma Alpha Epsilon "Animal House" Frat Approved For Columbia
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 13, 2012
Modified May 13, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 13, 2012
Modified May 13, 2012
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Recently, it was reported that Columbia University's Interfraternal Council has approved notorious fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) to return to the university for the first time since 1961. Because welcoming aboard one of the most notorious, scandal-friendly frats in America—who were the subject of a scathing exposé recently—is just the thing to wipe away the bad vibes after Operation Ivy League revealed rampant drug dealing amongst campus frats.
SAE is the second largest college fraternity in the U.S. by total initiates, and has been the subject of a host of negative press in recent years. The frat was banned from Cornell University after a student (from Brooklyn) died in 2011; he was tied up and forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol. The frat was also hit with a three-term probation at Dartmouth College because of the Rolling Stone article about hazing. Here's one excerpt from it about former pledge Andrew Lohse:
Lohse was given the pledge name "Regina," after the character in Mean Girls, in honor of his aggressive social climbing. During his seven-week pledge term, he and his fellow SAE pledges, known as "whale shits," were on call to cater to the whims of the brothers. Most of the formal "hazing" was reserved for meetings and challenges: Pledges would be required to perform endless "quick sixes," recite SAE's creed, "The True Gentleman," while lying in a kiddie pool full of ice, or take shots of mystery alcohol while being quizzed on arcane fraternity lore. (This same ritual, with the addition of tying the pledge's hands and feet with zip ties, led to the death of Cornell sophomore George Desdunes, the SAE pledge who died last February.) There were also "milk meetings," where pledges were asked to chug a gallon of milk in 20 minutes, which always resulted in plentiful booting. "You get points for how many times you booted on other people," says Lohse, who adds that the pledge trainers kept count while they sat on large throne-like chairs in a basement room. One brother recalls the night some of the pledges were served a scramble of vomit and eggs, known as a "vomlet."
Louse commented to the Post about trepidation over SEA coming to Columbia: “I can understand why students, alums and parents at Columbia would be really concerned,” he said. “If you look at this pattern, it’s really hard to say that these are isolated incidents...It’s heavily centered around drinking and illegal drugs." But hey, isn't that what college is all about:
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animal house
columbia university
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sigma alpha epsilon
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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