The Alpha Zeta chapter of FarmHouse is no longer under University suspension after appealing the sanction to University officials Dec. 15.
Instead of the original six-month suspension, which was handed down by the Fraternities and Sororities Committee because of allegations the fraternity had been hazing its pledges, the fraternity is now under 36 months of disciplinary probation.
During the next 36 months, if the fraternity is convicted by the Interfraternity Council Court of an infringement that requires disciplinary action, it will be suspended for at least a year.
The appeal was compiled by fraternity president Paul Stone, former president Josh Murphy and two fraternity alumni.
The fraternity submitted its appeal Dec. 9.
"Being suspended for six months is extremely detrimental to any campus organization because it hurts various assets of the fraternity," said Josh Murphy, former FarmHouse president. "In lieu of the six-month suspension we're going to be pretty much just on a probationary period."
After talking to members of the fraternity and the Greek community, Carry presented his findings to Gogue, who sent a letter to the fraternity that amended the original punishment based on Carry's recommendation.
The president sent his decision to the fraternity Dec. 15.
"We pretty much were just appealing the six months suspension," Murphy said. "And we gave reasons as to why."
The appeal noted that the fraternity thought the punishment did not fit the crime, and that the fraternity was implementing a variety of modifications to ensure hazing would be eliminated.
Murphy also said the fraternity is working with the international fraternity to make sure the modifications it implements will be effective. The international fraternity told the University it supported the rulings made by the IFC and the FSC.
The fraternity claims the hazing was not an organization-wide issue, but rather the result of a few brothers acting inappropriately.
After a sanction is handed down by the FSC, an organization has 10 days to appeal the decision.
The appeal is submitted to the office of the University president and the vice president of student affairs.
The vice president of student affairs is then responsible for researching the issue and submitting a recommendation to the president that details whether the sanction should stand. The president then makes an official decision based on the information presented.
Ainsley Carry, vice president of student affairs, said one of his purposes during his five days of research was to assess how the behavior of FarmHouse compared to the rest of the greek community.
Carry said he spoke with members of FarmHouse, the IFC, the FSC and other areas of the greek community to assess whether the activities FarmHouse was involved in were consistent with the rest of the greek community.
Carry said he was also trying to see if the activities the fraternity was accused of using to haze its pledges had any educational or brotherhood building purpose.
"I try to determine what's the intention of this behavior," Carry said. "Is it to humiliate a person? Or is part of a shared responsible of being part of a brotherhood? And it's very difficult to do that."
After the information-gathering period, Carry presented a recommendation to the president that was based on his findings.
Carry's recommendation acknowledged that FarmHouse deserved a form of punishment, but that the severity of the hazing behavior did not merit suspension.
Carry said the milder type of hazing the fraternity was accused of, which included activities such as wall-sits, was not as heinous as more physically abusive types of hazing, and so is better suited to a 36-month probation than a six-month suspension.
However, Carry also acknowledged that just because a form of hazing may be milder does not make it permissible.
Carry acknowledged there is a significant difference between forcing a pledge to perform wall-sits for 15 minutes and a group of brothers beating up a pledge.
Carry said the problem with the law regarding hazing is it does not reference levels of severity, and so all hazing is treated the same.
"Our goal as an institution is to stop it when it's a slap on the wrist," Carry said. "To send a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated."
Members of FarmHouse said the fraternity is working hard to implement changes that will prevent hazing from being an issue in the future.
"I'm definitely assisting our new (president) and going forth with this and implementing these changes so that they're lasting and so this is not a problem that's going to arise in the future," Murphy said. "I care about the fraternity. I've always been taught to leave something better than you found it."
Director of Greek Life Paul Kittle said the administration of a sanction, the appeal to University administration and the quick return of a decision was a positive reflection of the greek political system.
Kittle also said this is the first time during his five years at Auburn that an appeal has been made.
"When you look at it big picture, long term, our FarmHouse chapter should be better and our students should be safer," Kittle said. "And, at the end of the day, that was our end goal."
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