This past week, I was on the bus to campus when I overheard a group of guys talking about the recent Oklahoma University Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident. It wasn't that the guys were talking about what that chapter had ignorantly decided to chant on the bus one night in Oklahoma, they were talking about the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity as a whole. Throwing around such words as “racist" and “douchebags," acting like they personally knew every single member of that fraternity, and better yet the chapter that is here at Texas A&M. At one point in the boys' conversation, (I'm going to call them that because that is how they were acting) I felt the urge to ask them if they knew anyone in the SAE chapter here at A&M? Have you had a conversation with any member of SAE about what happened in Oklahoma?
I think everyone can agree that not every chapter of a fraternity or a sorority is the exact same at every school. To label EVERY CHAPTER of SAE as a “racist" is just as ignorant as the Oklahoma boys were that night on the bus.
The men of the Texas Tau chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon here at Texas A&M are some of the most genuine, respectful, kind-hearted men on this campus. To be labeling them as the same type of men as the one's in Oklahoma are, or better yet at any other school, is extremely unfair. Not to mention, that's definably not good bull.
Besides always having the best build at Chilifest, SAE also hosts Paddy Murphy, the sorority's favorite (and most competitive) philanthropy event of the year. This year, under the supervision of Philanthropy Chair Jonathan Novak, the Texas Tau boys raised over $16,000 for local philanthropies. (See near the bottom for an explanation for who the heck Paddy Murphy is)
Nine Texas A&M sororities competed in events such as a social media contest, tee shirt sales, penny war and a hustle-a-thon in hopes of being one of the top four sororities who were to compete in the Greek Olympics at the SAE house last Friday. Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Zeta and Alpha Delta Pi battled it out on a variety of obstacle courses that day in hopes of being the number one team and going home with 70 percent of the total that was raised that week. After a tough battle, Tri Delta walked away with $11,068 for their philanthropy, St. Jude.
I can't speak for every chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, but the Texas Tau men have proved that they are undeserving of the stereotype that is being placed upon them in response to the recent incident. Labeling a whole fraternity due to one chapter's poor decisions is ignorant and unfair. It's one thing to be upset about the issue of racism; it's another to make a man fear wear his fraternity letters for something he didn't do.
Side Note: Who is Paddy Murphy? Paddy Murphy was an infamous, Irish bootlegger who was killed by a man named Elliot Ness. Ness did not know that Murphy was a fellow SAE until he had already shot him. As Paddy Murphy was dying, he reached up for Ness's hand and gave him the secret handshake of SAE. The week of philanthropy is held in honor of Paddy Murphy.
