SEMO UPHOLDS FRAT CHAPTER'S SUSPENSION

Southeast Missouri State University has upheld its earlier decision to suspend the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity chapter for three years for verbally hazing pledges.

The suspension runs through Aug. 15, 2000.

The university has given fraternity members until the end of the month to move out of the school-owned house at 1409 N. Sprigg.

The fraternity had appealed the suspension handed down Aug. 25 by Jim Pelfrey, coordinator of student development.

Dr. SueAnn Strom, vice president of student affairs, ruled on the appeal at a meeting Wednesday afternoon with two student officers of the fraternity and the chapter's adviser. Strom said the meeting lasted at least an hour.

She initially refused to disclose the decision to the news media, citing the federal student privacy law. But she subsequently disclosed her ruling after meeting Wednesday evening with university president, Dr. Dale Nitzschke; dean of students, Dr. Kimberly Barrett; and other members of the administrative team. The meeting was called by Nitzschke.

In the last three years, the university has permanently banned a fraternity in connection with a hazing death and suspended a sorority in another hazing incident. In both cases, the university also announced the disciplinary actions.

"The culture and the community need to come together and understand that any form of hazing, as described in the student code of conduct, will not be tolerated," Strom said. "I think the Greek community has heard us, but needs to hear us again and again," she said.

Strom said university officials believe that disclosing the suspension will help other fraternities and sororities at Southeast understand how serious the school considers hazing violations.

The suspension followed a secret inquiry by the school's judicial affairs office into hazing allegations made by a former pledge. The former pledge, Joseph Dustin Frisella, 21, of Arnold, provided university officials with an audio tape in May that documented a fall 1996 hazing ritual in which he was verbally abused. The incident occurred at the fraternity house.

Southeast earlier this month ordered campus police to investigate the allegations of hazing after the judicial affairs office handed down the suspension.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said Monday he wouldn't prosecute fraternity members because there wasn't sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution.

He said verbal abuse alone wasn't enough to warrant prosecution. He said he would have had to prove that the cursing placed Frisella at probable risk of bodily injury or psychological harm.

Swingle said prosecution also would have been hampered by Frisella's refusal to sign a written statement regarding the hazing incident.

Frisella was convicted earlier this year of assaulting a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. Frisella said he was kicked out of school following the assault in December.