The age old adage asks do a few bad apples spoil the bunch? Not necessarily. But it’s a question that has plagued the reputations of collegiate Greek organizations over the last decade following proven reports of controversial behavior from institutional racism to sexual assault: Do the headline-grabbing actions of a few fraternities and sororities speak to the integrity of Greek organizations as a whole and the foundations they were built on?

Student partying, sometimes to excess, is nothing new on college campuses, including Iowa State University. But over the last year, in the shadow of recent deaths of several young male Greek members at universities across the country — as a result of excessive drinking during alleged hazing activities — a national conversation has sparked, asking whether or not those incidents and others like them are just collegiate hijinks gone wrong, isolated and infrequent, or an indicator of a deep-rooted problem.

And recent incidents, some as close to home as the May 2017 death of a Sigma Chi fraternity member at University of Iowa, have fueled a conversation that is asking whether stereotypes surrounding Greek life and culture are just stereotypes or something more.

While the home of the Cyclones has not had any students die in recent history as a result of misconduct, Greek members or otherwise, 35 out of 38 disciplinary sanctions handed down to ISU student organizations since May 2014 have been given to Greek chapters on the university’s campus, including Collegiate Panhellenic Council Sororities, Interfraternity Council Fraternities, Multicultural Greek Council Fraternities and Sororities and National Panhellenic Council Fraternities and Sororities.

Last year saw an increase in the overall number of student organization offenses that received disciplinary sanctions from the university’s Office of Student Conduct — 15 — up from six in 2016, nine in 2015 and six in 2014. All of the organizations sanctioned for conduct offenses in 2017, 2016, and all but two in 2015, were Greek.

There have been two organizations sanctioned in 2018, both of them Greek.

At first glance, these numbers could signal that the university has a large task at hand in addressing the intentions that led to the sanctions. However, interviews with officials and members of Greek organizations show that the challenge before the community is more than just actions and consequences, right or wrong, black and white. It is one of responsibility, policy and communication. It is differentiating the real from the stereotype, and putting in safeguards to ensure a benefit to all who are involved.

“I think in the last 11 months, there’s a national dialogue around fraternities and sororities to which people are paying close attention, which is a good thing,” said Billy Boulden, assistant dean of students and director of sorority and fraternity engagement.

There are two levels of cases that ISU student organizations’ offenses fall into. Thirteen of the 38 incidents were what the university considers to be “Level 1” cases, meaning the alleged behavior by the student organization warranted the consideration of a suspension or expulsion from the school. For Level 1 cases, the sanctions can range from a disciplinary reprimand to expulsion, and can include educational sanctions or other requirements and restrictions related to the incident, according to the university’s Office of Student Conduct website.

All of the incidents with Level 1 case classifications since May 2014 belonged to ISU Greek organizations.

The remaining 25 of the 38 sanctions were “Level 2” cases, that did not warrant the consideration of a suspension or expulsion from the university, with sanctions ranging from a disciplinary reprimand to deferred suspension, or other educational sanctions, requirements and restrictions.

Sara Kellogg, assistant dean of students and director of ISU's Office of Student Conduct, said that while the overall numbers of recent student organization violations are higher than they have been in the past, the reason behind the growing numbers isn’t concrete. Specifically in terms of Greek chapter sanctions, rising numbers do not necessarily indicate a higher rate of offenses but rather a higher rate of people coming forward and filing reports that lead to investigations.

“We get more reports because we have the students within the organizations actually self-reporting to a great extent,” Kellogg said. “It’s very difficult to say what it is that makes that vary from year to year. For the most part, more charges are related to more reports, the question then is, why more reports? And that’s the part we can’t answer.”

When it comes to the reason behind the ratio of Greek to non-Greek organization sanctions, Kellogg said there are higher standards in place for campus Greek chapters, as compared to other student clubs. Because everything they do must be registered, from philanthropy to group activities, it is much easier to tell when something goes wrong, which is reflected in the data. Even after off-campus events, the venue will be called to check if there were any problems, a standard not consistent with non-Greek student organizations.

If members of non-Greek ISU club were to participate in an off-campus event that caused problems, and get caught, there would be no way to know they were affiliated with the organization, and as a result they would be dealt with as individual students, not a club, Kellogg said.

“When you join a fraternity or a sorority, you stand in a room with other people and take an oath. I don’t know of many other organizations that do that,” Boulden said. “I think people look for consistency. So the chess club never said they promise to be better people, so no one is looking for the chess club not doing that. But fraternities and sororities, when they don’t do that, there’s a giant disconnect between who they are and who they say they are."

Of all sanctioned offenses among ISU student organizations, the top spot belongs to misuse of alcoholic beverages. Thirty-two of the listed 38 conduct violations involved the offense, along with 14 of the 15 total 2017 sanctions given to ISU sororities and fraternities.

According to Director of Student Wellness Mark Rowe-Barth, the drinking problem is one that extends throughout ISU’s entire campus, not just its Greek community. In the spring 2017 administering of the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment, Rowe-Barth said ISU students were asked about the number of times they consumed five or more drinks in a sitting, the “frequent binge rate,” within the previous two weeks. The results? 30.9 percent, compared to national data at 31.5 percent. Twenty-seven percent of ISU students indicated never drinking alcohol, or if they have, not in the previous 30 days.

“Pop culture still glamorizes the college setting as a party environment; that’s not new,” Rowe-Barth said. “Alcohol misuse/abuse is a concern of mine in general for all college students who choose to drink, and ISU, like any college campus, is not immune.”  

A closer look at available data hosted online by the Office of Student Conduct showed that the number of student organization alcohol violations that received sanctions leaned heavily toward Greek life as a whole. But more specifically, ISU fraternities — rather than sororities — by a ratio of about 3-to-1.

One explanation for the disparity in numbers is the fact that sororities have to maintain “dry” houses, meaning sororities tied to a national organization do not allow their members to consume alcohol in the chapter houses, while fraternities do not face the same regulations. Having alcohol on premise automatically provides a potential for issues, Kellogg said.

Boulden added that at ISU, there are more fraternities than sororities, so by sheer numbers, there will be more violations among the larger group.  

But according to a female former ISU student — who currently has a lawsuit filed against the university alleging she was sexually assaulted by a fraternity member and retaliated against by the Greek community for reporting it — the problem also lies in the amount of pressure exerted on each group’s respective members. The student, now 21 and living in Minnesota, attended ISU from fall 2014 until winter 2015, and joined one of the university’s Collegiate Panhellenic Council sororities as a freshman. (The Ames Tribune always makes it its policy to not name victims of sexual assault to protect their identity.)

But after joining, the former student said that she saw destructive behavior across the board within student organizations, from drinking to drug use. As a member of a sorority, she said she felt pressured to drink, because it was the “cool” thing to do, particularly when older members invited the younger women out to drink.

“If older girls invited you out, it was to drink, you don’t ever want to say no to that,” the student said. “Another thing was if you had homework, if there was a party that night, there was a big pressure as well. You didn’t want to ever miss a party, so you felt pressured to go out.”

When push came to shove, if members stood up for themselves and said no to drinking or participating in parties, fellow sorority members would back down, the woman added, but the same did not seem to apply for fraternities.

“There were times that there was name calling if you didn’t accept certain drinks or drugs, and to get initiated you sometimes had to do certain dares,” the student said. “In fraternities, I feel like it was such an issue that you maybe couldn’t say no sometimes.”

For some groups, receiving a sanction can help right the course when it comes to alcohol-related violations, according to one Greek life member. In a previous interview with the Ames Tribune for a separate story, Carter Mehls, then president of fraternity Beta Theta Pi, said that after being sanctioned for misuse of alcohol and contempt in November 2017 as a result of a tailgate held a few weeks prior, the organization had an opportunity to learn and move forward positively.

Among other requirements, Beta Theta Pi was required to complete a comprehensive review of risk management policies and procedures by April 1, which must include the development of bylaws or policies guiding how the chapter will register and host tailgates, set risk management procedures to ensure that the space is controlled and reasonable measures to ensure that underage people are not consuming alcohol.

“Our chapter could see this as a stumbling block; instead, we see it as an opportunity to learn and grow,” said Mehls, noting that tailgating expectations are changing and all fraternities are still learning to adjust to new policies. “I’m confident that we have the proper tools and leadership to bounce back quickly and continue our role as a positive member of the Iowa State University community.”

In other cases, despite repeat sanctions, some ISU student organizations continue to violate conduct requirements when it comes to drinking. Fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha has been sanctioned for misuse of alcohol three times over the past three years: once in May 2015, once in September 2016 and again in September 2017. Each time, the sanctions have grown more severe, starting with just a few months of conduct probation, to most recently having to be an alcohol-free chapter facility through Aug. 20 and serving a term suspension that just ended in January, among other requirements.

Fraternity Sigma Pi was sanctioned for misuse of alcohol in August 2016 and again in June 2017.

According to Kellogg, there is a solid mix of student organizations that “bounce back” after receiving a sanction, while others continue to be repeat offenders. When her office starts to notice multiple sanctions within a short period of time (that do not allow taking considerable changes in membership over the course of several years into account), the next step is to actively engage them. That could mean having meetings, reviewing risk management policies, and finding ways to help keep them on track and make changes to be better.

If there is a pattern of behavior that leads ISU staff to charge an organization multiple times — and the group has been offered educational opportunities and restrictions but still can’t find a way to follow guidelines and expectations — Kellogg said there is a point where a suspension could be necessary.

There is only one ISU organization suspended at this time: fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, until January 2019.

In January, after months of work, the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement released a new set of policies pertaining to registration and requirements for sorority and fraternity events involving alcohol. The 11-page-long set of guidelines sets community-wide, clear-cut expectations in place for students, according to Boulden.

Under the new requirements, in order for an event involving alcohol to be approved and not violate university policy, alcohol may not be the focus of an event, pregaming (drinking before a social function) is not allowed, minors may not be served, all recruitment, rush, initiation, and induction activities must be non-alcoholic and drinking games, like beer pong and bar crawls, are prohibited.

All Greek chapter social events involving alcohol must be registered in advance and approved through the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement. Those that fail to register events or host unapproved events will be prohibited from hosting future events and will be evaluated on a “case-by-case basis.”

“I think we have to do things better,” Boulden said. “I think our students are aware of what’s going on, and the narratives around fraternities and sororities. And (we) are working toward putting forward a different climate and message for people to see. Some violations are too many. We have to be a better community, we need to be that ideal community.”

Out of ISU's 35 disciplinary sanctions handed down to Greek chapters on the university's campus over the last 3 ½ years, the second most common offense that has received sanctions has been endangerment, with nine disciplined incidents. According to the university’s Office of Student Conduct, endangerment encompasses creating a hazard, endangering the physical safety of someone by engaging in a dangerous activity or using hazardous materials or chemicals.

Coming in third is indecent exposure, followed by a handful of disruption of rights, public disorder, damage to property and contempt; one sanction for harassment, one for “violation of non-retaliation against persons reporting misconduct” and four for hazing.

At ISU, hazing is any intentional, knowing, or reckless action, request, or creation of circumstances that endangers the health or safety of any individual, causes a risk of physical injury, serious mental distress, or personal humiliation, or involves the destruction or removal of public or private property in connection with initiation, admission or continued membership in a university group.

Over the last 3 ½ years, four incidents of hazing among student organizations received sanctions, all of which were given to Greek organizations. Kappa Sigma was sanctioned for the offense in January, Sigma Chi in 2017, Delta Tau Delta in 2016 and Lambda Theta Phi in 2015.

Three of the sanctions for hazing were given to ISU Interfraternity Council fraternities, and one to a Multicultural Greek Council fraternity.

Kellogg said that in the case of hazing, the sanction language does not always tell the full story of what happened.

She cited a related incident several years ago when an ISU student organization took their members to the university’s Cap Timm Field. All the members were wearing hoodies and repeating what appeared to be a chant when a police officer found them.

Later investigation determined the group was just trying to memorize a motto through repetition, but members did not know where they were dropped off. Although no alcohol or drugs were involved, they were told they needed to find their way home, but no one had their keys or cell phones.

“Our students will say, ‘Hey, I’m not getting abused in any kind of way, this is not serious, I was never afraid, I never felt threatened,’” Kellogg said. “And that is something we hear a lot, probably the majority of the hazing cases that we deal with. Our role is to say, ‘We’re not denying that, we’re not saying you felt coerced or threatened or (terrified). What we’re saying is there’s still the potential for risk.’”

Historically Lutheran fraternity Beta Sigma Psi President Ethan Laughery, 21, from Yale, Iowa, said he has never experienced or witnessed any form of hazing since he joined the organization in 2015. In fact, when he first arrived at ISU, he had a goal of not consuming any alcohol until he turned 21, and his fraternity helped him uphold that standard.

“Honestly, at Beta Sig, I found a culture that supported my decision,” Laughery said. “When I came into the Greek system, before I knew much about Beta Sig, I was like, ‘Ok, if they start hazing, I’m out.’ Then I started meeting the people in the fraternity. I thought, ‘These people are so compassionate, and there’s so many strong leaders, this cannot be a thing that occurs.’ It was a relief to me to know that we didn’t do it.”

Laughery said Beta Sigma Psi has safeguards in place to help ensure hazing does not occur. The new member process talks about what hazing is to try and educate new members to be wary of what can happen and how to avoid it. Another aspect that is stressed is not making anyone do something they do not want to do — like go to the gym — because even that can bear the appearance of hazing.

“Of all the stereotypes, I think that’s the one that’s fading the fastest,” Laughery said. “If it’s happening anywhere I hope it goes away even faster. It’s something that has no place in the organization. It really doesn’t match your values and standards. You want to build up people, but when you resort to hazing, it tears them down. It doesn’t help anyone.”

Like Laughery, the former ISU student and Greek life member mentioned previously in this series who’s suing the university also said she never personally experienced any form of hazing during her time at the university, as sororities have very strict rules against it that are closely followed. However, she added that among fraternities, it was a “pretty big problem.” While some members enjoyed the experience, for others, it was less enjoyable, she said.

In a previous interview with the Ames Tribune for a separate story, Kellogg said that when it comes to incidents of hazing among Greek organizations at ISU, the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement works with its student leaders to have them engaged in conversations and assistance about how to identify and report hazing. Preventative measures for hazing are continually reviewed, along with training and investigation practices and overall response, in order to be in line with the national best practices for student disciplinary processes, she added.

As the president of ISU’s Collegiate Panhellenic Council — which governs 17 collegiate sorority organizations comprised of more than 2,600 undergraduate women — Jackie Lawler, 21, from Ogden, Iowa, said that work is also constantly being done to promote safety in the university community.

The Collegiate Panhellenic Council provides learning opportunities for members and ISU students by hosting risk prevention workshops where hazing, alcohol abuse and sexual assault are discussed, Lawler said. The council also promotes bystander intervention training and was a co-sponsor to Green Dot, a program aimed at decreasing power-based personal violence on campus.

“I got involved on the council because my sorority experience has positively impacted my collegiate years, and I would like to help others have that same positive experience,” Lawler said. “Safety of our members is of high importance to us. Personally, I believe risk management issues are a problem on most campuses, both in Greek life and in all forms of campus housing.

Greek life tends to be brought to the spotlight more because it is a group that is identifiable. As a council, we are working to change the culture in our community to be a catalyst of culture change on college campuses.”

Two other members of ISU Greek life initially agreed to answer questions regarding their personal Greek experiences, but after being informed of what they would entail, they stopped responding to email communication from the Ames Tribune. Additional Greek life leaders and members were contacted for comment pertaining to their individual experiences, but none responded to initial email interview requests.

When it comes to handling conduct violations from university student organizations, a delicate balance exists between failing to react at all, disciplining appropriately to enact positive change and learning, and responding too aggressively to minor infractions, particularly in the cases involving Greek organizations. According to some, that balance is often tipped against the Greek community when it comes to differentiating between individual offenders and the chapter as a whole, including at ISU.

Steve Lawler, an Ogden farmer, Sigma Pi International president and Jackie Lawler’s father, started out his Greek life experience as a member of fraternity Sigma Pi at University of Iowa, later volunteering as a chapter advisor at ISU and then got elected to the fraternity’s national board.

For him, over his years in Greek life, universities too often end up relying on punishment as opposed to educational efforts when it comes to dealing with chapter sanctions. Typically when a conduct violation happens, it is because of one “rogue” chapter member or “a few bad apples,” he said, and rather than expelling those in question and educating the rest on how to prevent future issues, the entire organization tends to get punished.

“I’m not going to say there are no problems with Greek life, because there are, and there always have been,” Steve Lawler said. “I know there are bad apples, like what happened at Penn State. We do not support that. That was heinous. They deserve for that chapter to be closed because that was a culture of that chapter. We just feel sometimes the universities don’t always give the Greek system a fair shake on some of this stuff.”

Hand-in-hand is the question of whether or not punishments handed down to ISU’s Greek community fit the crime. In January, ISU’s Sigma Pi chapter was sanctioned for contempt. Lawler said that despite the “sinister” appearance of the contempt sanction, in reality, the disciplinary action was the result of needing to turn in a form that accidentally missed its deadline because of a misunderstanding between chapter leadership.  

“Yes, it’s a violation, but it was in good faith, and it really wasn’t a very a big deal,” he said. “Sometimes things get overblown . . . We’re here not to just punish kids, we’re here to educate them and make them better people. They really need advising, mentoring and a steady hand more than they do a slap-down in many occasions. There are groups who are just bad, and we do have them, and we’ve closed them. But 95 percent of them are good groups."

Boulden echoed that sentiment, adding that when it comes to the public perception of Greek life, the shadow of the minority of Greek chapters and members that exhibit bad behavior or are disciplined can overpower the positive impact they have within the university community.

Two chapters have sponsored a garden in Perry, he said, where members work to cultivate fruits and vegetables to give back to the community.

This year, ISU’s chapter of Beta Sigma Psi won a national award for best overall chapter management, one for having the best member education program, and another for outstanding achievement as a chapter. Some fraternity members go over to Memorial Lutheran Church in Ames every week to usher, direct parking, assist with Sunday School, or otherwise help out.

“Everything you do, you have to make sure that you aren’t adding on to that stereotype (of Greek life),” Laughery said. “I think the biggest change we could make as a community would be to make sure people are holding each other accountable, and that everything we do is associated with our values.

“Beta Sig reformed itself over the years, and I think we did that a little bit before the national trend. We had a few years of bad recruitment, so we had an opportunity to really make a change. Everything we do is focused around our values.”

ISU chapters encourage their members get involved in leadership councils, executive boards and campus-wide activities to develop leadership abilities. And according to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement, the Greek community traditionally maintains a higher GPA than the all-university average.

“I believe our strengths are the friendships created, leadership opportunities, academic support, and social excellence training we provide to our members,” Jackie Lawler said. “The combination of all those factors, has prepared me for post-graduation life and will provide me with success in my future and a lifelong system of networking opportunities.”

Every chapter has a specific philanthropic mission, and in 2015, ISU’s Greek community logged more than 50,000 hours of volunteer time, according to the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Engagement. In 2017, members of the Greek community raised over $377,000 for the Special Olympics of Iowa.

“There’s a lot of other things that go on in the Greek community that aren’t put out there for daily consumption, mostly because it’s not sexy and interesting,” Boulden said. ”We see the number of violations that exist. What we don’t publicize or advertise are the numbers of events our sororities and fraternities are holding, or service or philanthropy.

“There’s always something that can improve. That’s something that makes the Iowa State Greek community special. I think our students know that, and are willing to do more work, and willing to be more engaged to become better.”

All data sets used in this story are as of March 21, 2018.