The Beta Sigma chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., was accusedof hazing and the accuser is offended by the actions that members of thisorganization are saying took place.
Dean of Student Life, Robert Bennett reviewed all of the informationconcerning this case and the “not guilty verdict” given by the SouthernUniversity Pan Hellenic Council Judicial Committee and made the decision toplace the Beta Sigma chapter on a three-year suspension.
The chapter has recently appealed this verdict, which according toMelvin Robinson, chapter adviser, the appeal was not granted and they are stillfacing the punishment set by Bennett.
The accuser said the incident began when he was contacted by telephoneby an Omega to meet at a specific location and park his vehicle. He got inanother vehicle in which he was then blindfolded and taken with two otherpeople to another location. Once he got to the location, his blindfold wastaken off and excessive beating then began to take place. He said a similarsituation took place the next night also.
“Saturday night I went to the doctor’s office, by the time I parked mytruck and walked up to the double doors, blood just started coming out,” hesaid. “The doctors came down from upstairs and cut open my shirt. They had tostick tubes down my throat.”
According to the accuser, after the Feb. 18 issue of The SouthernDIGEST, he began receiving phone calls from the Omega’s involved petitioningfor a deal. With the help of an SU faculty member they agreed to pay his rentfor six months along with all accumulated doctor bills to persuade him to dropthe charges he said.
He agreed to the alleged deal and told Deion Dorsett (chapter Basileusand friend) and the Pan Hellenic Judiciary Committee on Feb.14 that the chargeswere dropped.
”The day that the meeting(Pan Hellenic Judiciary Committee) took place; no calls, no show,” he saidreferring to the deal. “So I feltlike a fool because I was trying to help the fraternity and a friend, which Ihave known since ’96-97.'”
The accuser said that Dorsett did not acknowledge their friendship atthe hearing.
”So the charges are notdropped, I have brought no legal form from downtown saying that those chargeswere dropped,” he said. “Deion Dorsett is one of my best friends and Deion didnot say anything about us being best friends. That really hurt me to see how heis trying to protect his fraternity. And that really bothered me. Deion Dorsettthat’s my friend; I’m going to love him for life. But something’s got to bedone.”
The accuser said that what he did not mention at the hearing is thatdue to the alleged beating, he almost died.
“I was throwing up blood and the doctor told me that if I didn’t comein on Saturday that I would have went home and died because I was bleeding somuch internally.”
In the Feb. 22 issue of The Southern DIGEST, Dorsett said, “I, in noway deny that this man was hazed-the pictures of his bruises prove that.However, it was not my chapter that did it.”
Along with the unfortunate physical harm that the accuser endured, heis also hurt by the friendship that was lost because of it.
“Me and him (Dorsett) have been through a lot,” he said. “For him totry and protect his fraternity knowing that I almost died I have lost allrespect for Deion. I knew who called me that night; it was my friend DeionDorsett. And because I knew this was coming from him, I didn’t know that theywere going to do what they did that night. That was a real shock to me. Deionwas the one that blindfolded me.”
The accuser said that in the past he would think about what it would belike to be an Omega. This was something he longed for.
“Do I still want this…no I really don’t,” he said. “I would advise noone to join this fraternity.”
