It would be nice to not have to talk about all the horrible things fraternities are doing, but it would be even nicer if they just stopped doing them altogether. Shit just hit the fan for FIJI at James Madison University, and all they have to blame is themselves.
Gawker broke the story about this creepy rush memo a now former brother of FIJI at JMU reportedly penned. Full disclosure: these documents were sent to us earlier this week, but we aren’t actively trying to make Greek life look bad. We know things like this are the exception, not the rule. Regardless, the story broke, and seeing as it concerns Greek life, we’re going to talk about it.
The leaked information is a document aimed towards potential brothers of FIJI and contains instructions for becoming a member of their chapter. It’s not your typical “show up to meetings, come to parties and talk to brothers” rush guide. It contains the names, room numbers, and ranking of girls they need to invite to parties.
The typed document also urges the potential brothers to go to their dorm meeting so they can “get a glimpse” of “all the hot tail in [the dorm].”
See for yourself.
The author tries to defend himself for being creepy by saying he knows what he did is creepy. While I applaud him for his honesty, I think the next step in realizing something you’re doing is creepy is to reevaluate and then decide NOT to do it. This guy just went ahead and did it anyway, digging his own grave in the process.
The ending is also a little disturbing. It reads, “Congratulations, gentleman. You are now potentials. Your goal once you get to the party – meet brothers and get with girls, we will do whatever we can to try and get you guys laid.”
If you’re a girl in college, you have to know on some level that every guy you talk to wants to sleep with you. But there’s something really unsettling about seeing it spelled out in a way that is just so… revolting. Where exactly do these guys draw the line? Because “whatever we can” sounds a little like maybe the “dorm hotties” invited to these parties should watch their drink.
The director of Greek life at JMU provided this statement concerning the incident:
The university is aware of the incident and it is under investigation. However because of federal privacy laws, we cannot comment on the specifics of the incident. Obviously, the university takes seriously any complaints of sexual harassment or misconduct. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the matter will be dealt with in accordance with university policy and procedure.
A source told us that once the chapter president heard about the list, the brother responsible for creating it was immediately removed from the fraternity. By that time, however, the list was out and somehow ended up in the wrong hands.
I think it’s safe to assume that fraternities want hot girls at their parties. Okay, fair. It’s one thing to tell your potential new members to invite hot girls, but it’s quite another to literally spell out which hot girls to invite and where they live. That. Is. Creepy. The author knew it was creepy, admitted it, and then decided to say “fuck it,” write it down anyway, and sign his name to it. Wrong move, buddy.
My advice for fraternities, sororities, and people everywhere is to stop documenting stupid shit you do or say. It’s going to come back and bite you in the ass 99 percent of the time. .
Update 09/24/15 1:42 PM:
Statement from the FIJI chapter at James Madison:
[Name redacted] acted totally on his own in writing the letter that has sparked this controversy. The letter does not reflect the values that our chapter promotes and our members embrace. Accordingly, [Name redacted] has been removed from our chapter. We will continue to cooperate with the University in every way necessary to resolve this matter.
[via Gawker]
Nice Move182
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Cristina Montemayor
Cristina is a Grandex Writer and Content Manager. She was an intern for over two years before she graduated a semester early to write about college full time, which makes absolutely no sense. She regretfully considers herself a Carrie, but is first and foremost a Rory. She tends to draw strong reactions from people. They are occasionally positive. You can find her in a bar as you're bending down to tie your shoes, drinking Dos XX and drunk crying to Elton John. Email her: cristina@grandex.co (not .com).
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