Correction regarding HAZE

Hey readers. Quick correction on the HAZE posting that precedes this one. The film was not funded by the Gordie Foundation directly. It was produced with private funding. Not sure all the legal and technical details, but the Foundation asked me to correct that part of my posting. I guess it's correct to say that the Foundation is involved in promoting the film, etc.

Also, the Foundation wanted people to know that there are lots of folks in the film who speak up for the good things that fraternities and sororities are doing in the fight against hazing. They understand that this is not reflected much in the trailer, but they feel that the film itself offers up a very fair opportunity for all sides to be heard.

I reiterated to them that I believe the film will generate a lot of controversy. Some people will support its message, and some will feel attacked. That's unavoidable. I'll reserve my judgment on the film until I've seen the whole thing. But, it is my feeling (I say again) that anything that gets us, as a Greek community, focused on ending harmful behavior surrounding alcohol abuse and hazing is worth any controversy we have to face. That's why I agreed to participate and be interviewed for the production.

By writing about the film in this blog, and by many of you sharing the posting around, I hope that we can talk about the film and the issues it presents in a constructive way.

"Haze: The Movie" preview now online

This Spring, a documentary film about alcohol abuse and fraternity hazing will be released on the festival circuit. It's going to be big news in the interfraternal community, and I expect it to get significant national publicity. The preview is now available online here.

The film uses the hazing and alcohol-related death of Chi Psi Fraternity pledge Gordie Bailey at the University of Colorado as its backdrop. The Gordie Foundation, the foundation started by Bailey's mother and stepfather after his death, is involved in the promotion of the film and were involved in its production (see next blog posting).

The trailer shows images of Gordie lying dead on the floor of the fraternity house. What shook me up the most was that his so-called brothers had written all over his body with Sharpie pens as he lay alcohol-poisoned on the floor of his chapter house. One member wrote "Sucks to be you" on his leg -- sending shivers up my spine.

I and several other CAMPUSPEAK speakers participated in interviews for the film. Not sure how many of us will make it to the final cut. Travis Apgar, one of our speakers, is featured in the trailer although he is identified as a Cornell University official and not a CAMPUSPEAK speaker on the hazing issue.

This movie is going to get massive attention because it's really an expose of the horrible culture of alcohol abuse and hazing that exists at many campuses and in many chapters. The preview is anything but gentle with its images of puking, bloody, self-humiliating students.

And, a personal observation here... the Gordie folks don't seem to be feeling a lot of love for the interfraternal community, so expect the indictment delivered by the film to be pretty brutal. They aren't going to be holding back, so to speak, and I expect the film to scare the hell out of parents all over the nation whose kids are going off to college. I expect a raging debate in the interfraternal community about whether this film is fair or unfair, a call to action, another smear, or the latest call for the elimination of fraternities.

I think anything that makes us stand up as a community and fight hazing and alcohol abuse aggressively is a positive thing, but many undergraduate Greeks will see this as a full-frontal assault on their already tattered national image.

Guess time will tell. In the meantime, check out the trailer.

Gay or straight, this member is a train wreck

I got a message from a fraternity consultant yesterday. It seems that a particular chapter he's visited is having a problem with a gay member who is causing lots of problems for the chapter. It's not so much that he's gay (they have a few out and active gay members), it's that this particular young man seems to enjoy beating everyone over the head with his sexuality 24/7, using it as an excuse to do what he wants, say what he wants, and cause as much drama as he wants.

The young man is treating everyone badly, making an ass out of himself at Greek events, and basically doing everything he can to draw attention to himself. He stands up at chapter meetings and refers to himself in third person with statements such as, "The Queen thinks the chapter should" do this...

I'd throw him out just for that. The blogger thinks that people who refer to themselves in third person when speaking need a swift kick in the capri pants.

His brothers (and the consultant) have tried to confront him constructively about how his boorish behavior is affecting the chapter and its reputation on campus, but his response continues to be, "Well, I'm gay, this is who I am, and it's inappropriate of you to question how I act."

Oh, you're so wrong, Princess.

Of course, all the well-meaning straight boys don't know what to do. They don't want to be seen as homophobic, but the kid is being a nightmare. "What should I tell them to do," the consultant asked me?

My advice: a gay jerk is still a jerk. Sounds to me (without actually meeting the kid or being privy to all the back stories) like this young man is on a pretty wild ride with his sexual and social identity, and he's projecting that chaos onto his chapter. He should be confronted about his personal behavior and held to the same standards of personal conduct as any other member of the chapter, gay or straight.

It's been my experience that when a young man is going through this much upheaval and drama, the group's welfare is not his primary concern. If this is the case, then he should be given the option to either check his craziness, or be invited to leave so that he can be the master of his own train wreck. That doesn't mean that his friends in the chapter cannot help him, support him, etc., but it might mean that this tumultuous time of his life is not consistent with being a productive member of this particular kind of group. He might need to be invited to leave.

I was encouraged that the consultant said that the chapter has proven itself to be a safe and supportive place for its gay members. That made this conclusion easier to reach. Just because someone is gay, or struggling with that identity, does not give him the right to act in a personally destructive or self-centered way. Should it be OK for him to date openly in the Greek community? Absolutely (the straight members do). Should it be OK for him to talk openly about being gay and being a fraternity man? Absolutely. Should it be OK for him to incite problems in the chapter? Nope.

Had the consultant in question been gay, himself, I would have told him, "Tell Nellie Olsen to sit her ass down and shut her mouth before I fly out there and smack that cheap Clairol dye job out of her silly head." But, he's not. So I told him to tell the chapter members to continue to confront, set some behavior expectations, and handle him like any other troublesome member.

Nerd Auction at Washington State

Members of Washington State University's Computer Club took a class in public relations this summer, and they sought advice. How can they score some dates, get some notice on campus, and maybe do a little good? Well, they've decided to partner with a sorority for a "Nerd Auction."

Here's how it will work. Sorority women will get a day to makeover their nerd: clothes, haircut, waxing, new eyewear, whatever. Then, at a dinner that evening, they will "sell the nerd off" to the highest bidder. "He can help the woman with her homework, fix her computer, or maybe even go on a date," said one club member.

One thing for sure, they learned plenty in their PR class. The group's leaders were all over CNN this morning. The club plans to use the funds generated in the auction to help fund scholarships to recruit more women to computer science.

And if a couple of nerds find love, that's just icing on the cake. As the CNN anchor said in the closing of the live interview, "We'll see if love is in the air or if we end up with just a lot of virus-free computers at the sororities."

In any case, kudos to the Cougar Computer Club at Washington State!