<p>[Texas</a> Fraternity Ordered to Pay $16.2 Million to Parents of Dead Pledge - The Paper Trail (usnews.com)](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/10/24/texas-fraternity-ordered-to-pay-162-million-to-parents-of-dead-pledge.html]Texas”>http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/10/24/texas-fraternity-ordered-to-pay-162-million-to-parents-of-dead-pledge.html)</p>
<p>I bet that will shut down that fraternity, which sounds like a good thing.</p>
<p>"According to investigators, on the night Cross fell from his fifth-floor balcony, pledges were given half-gallon bottles of liquor to drink, and an autopsy report showed Cross had a blood alcohol level more than twice the Texas legal driving limit. The lawsuit also said that Cross was subjected to sleep deprivation, beatings with large bamboo sticks and paddles, and “other acts of assault or battery” in the days before his death.</p>
<p>This year, four SAE members pleaded no contest to various hazing- and alcohol-related charges, and the fraternity has agreed to revamp its pledging and social activities in order to remain on campus."</p>
<p>I find some of the “comments” quite shocking, considering that yet another student died as a result of hazing…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yeah, boy. The University of Texas sure came down like a ton of brick on SAE for murdering a pledge, huh? A 2 am curfew. Wow.</p>
<p>Goodness, we couldn’t actually, you know, shut the fraternity down. That would mean having to build dorms and stuff.</p>
<p>What they ought to do is put the Chancellor of the University in jail and see if anyone starts to take this stuff seriously.</p>
<p>Posted by ‘Chuck of TX’ responding at the OP’s referenced Webpage:</p>
<p>“When will you unaffiliated losers quit hating on us? Nobody thinks you’re cool when you crybabies file lawsuits for no reason.”</p>
<p>Good. I am glad the fraternity has to pay out in the lawsuit. That kid could have been be yours or mine. I think the schools need to also be penalized.</p>
<p>It makes me so mad when I read of yet another young life lost and family destroyed because of these incidents. It’s about time schools laid down the rules loud and clear - if you do hazing that involves alcohol and abuse you will be closed down permanently. And we mean permanently.The schools are acting like the type of parents that used to drive me nuts - setting rules and consequences but not following up on either so their kids don’t know where the line is and don’t even care if they step over it. To quote the SNL Hilary character - ‘grow a pair or I can lend you mine’. </p>
<p>And doesn’t Chuck just sound like a real charmer.</p>
<p>I am glad to see a penalty for the civil case. The penalty for the criminal case was nearly non-existent.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with this incident as I played lacrosse against Tyler Cross when I was a freshman and he was a senior. He went to school 3 miles away from my school and from all accounts was a great kid. While his parents certainly don’t need the money, this punishment is worthy. It won’t shut down SAE at Texas because the payment is to be from nationals as well, but it will hurt. They will be on an extremely short leash for a LONG time in Austin.</p>
<p>What short leash? A 2 am curfew? That’s not a short leash. That’s not even a slap on the wrist from the University.</p>
<p>The Cross family has said they don’t want any serious action taken against SAE, interesteddad, so take that for what you will.</p>
<p>Is this the case where the judgment was by default? the fraternity did not respond to the complaint and there was no trial? If so, I believe it still can be appealed reopened and a trial held…especially since they are going after alumni sitting on the board of the national fraternity.</p>
<p>The fraternity is appealing, saying they didn’t know anything was filed and thus weren’t there to plead their case or whatever.</p>
<p>From the Houston Chronicle:
[Fraternity</a> seeks to overturn judgment | AP Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle](<a href=“http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6077025.html]Fraternity”>http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6077025.html)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>From the SAE website:
[Sigma</a> Alpha Epsilon - News from HQ](<a href=“http://www.sae.net/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=299&srcid=329]Sigma”>http://www.sae.net/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=299&srcid=329)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t often find myself agreeing with I-Dad, but in this case he’s on the money.</p>
<p>I agree with Idad too, but there is a problem. I have heard that when a fraternity is shut down, some do become “unofficial” and take their activities off campus, where hazing continues. I feel this is a huge problem.</p>
<p>I’m going to repeat this again. SAE at UT-Austin is not going to be shut down. The Cross family does not want it to get shut down, which is probably the only reason it isn’t kaput.</p>
<p>Tyler’s older brother was a member of this same frat at UT. This was a painful struggle for this family. It is a tragic situation and hopefully this fine is more than a “slap on the wrist.”</p>
<p>Of course the fraternity is not going to be shut down for murdering a pledge. The University, parents, and politicians condone this behavior. That is the problem.</p>
<p>Make the University of Texas Chancellor and the fraternity leaders watch Haze the Movie on endless loop from their jail cells:</p>
<p>[HAZE</a> THE MOVIE](<a href=“http://www.hazethemovie.com/trailer.html]HAZE”>http://www.hazethemovie.com/trailer.html)</p>
<p>^^^ ID, if memory serves me correctly, the student highlighted in that outtake linked above is xiggi’s dear, late friend Gordy. Everyone should watch this clip and remind your kids fo the perils of excessive drinking, and of Frat hazing in college.</p>
<p>Did I miss it, or where is the part about the fraternity brothers holding a gun to this (adult) pledge’s head to make him drink? “Murder” is a bit of an exaggeration here, imo.</p>
<p>Here’s something for the University and frat officials to watch while in jail:</p>
<p>The trailer for **Haze the Movie **by the Gordie Foundation:</p>
<p>[HAZE</a> THE MOVIE](<a href=“http://hazethemovie.com/blog/index.php]HAZE”>http://hazethemovie.com/blog/index.php)</p>