Fraternity animal abuse on the rise

Alcohol isn't the only factor contributing to fraternities' legal troubles as incidents of animal cruelty in fraternity houses are on the rise.\nLast February, the president of Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity at Quincy University in Illinois allegedly threw a puppy off a bridge and into the Mississippi River. At Davidson College in North Carolina, the Kappa Sigma fraternity was shut down because of a hazing incident where six freshmen were required to kill a goose to become members. \nThe most severe incident occurred at Wake Forest University in \nNorth Carolina, where a drunk, dehydrated and sunburned pig was found unconscious in a park, following a party at Sigma Phi Epsilon.\nWhile these incidents are alarming, there does not seem to be a high occurrence of animal abuse reports against fraternities at IU, said IU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger.\nMinger said he could only recall one incident when a goat was tied up outside the Sigma Nu fraternity house. According to an Indianapolis Star article, \nthe crime occurred in 1998 and involved a prank where pledges took a mahogany door off \nthe hinges and left a goat in its place. It's a tradition for pledges to take something of value and leave a goat in its place, according to the article. Firecracker debris allegedly used to scare the goat were found in a back stairwell. \nFour years later in 2002, a decomposed rabbit was found inside a microwave at Sigma Nu. According to a previous IDS article, Monroe County Animal Control arrived at the house and determined the rabbit had been deceased for some time and had started to decompose.\nThe Humane Society's 2002 Report of Animal Cruelty Cases breaks down 1,400 "high profile" cases from around the country. This figure is made up of only of the cases brought to their attention through its members and the media, since law enforcement agencies do not directly track animal cruelty cases.\nAnn Chynoweth, counsel to investigative services for \nthe Humane Society, said the reported cases are "just the tip of the iceberg, and that's what's alarming." \nChynoweth is confident animal cruelty has happened in fraternities for decades because animal abuse has happened everywhere for decades. \n"(Animal abuse) is a violent and inexcusable crime."\n-- Contact staff writer Chris Jesse at cejesse@indiana.edu.