All nine black Greek letterfraternities and sororities at Southern University have trees or areasdecorated with their paraphernalia. During the past two years, five Greekorganizations have had their area vandalized and several experienced it morethan once. Areas decorated by Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Delta SigmaTheta, Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta have all been sabotaged.
“It is happening toofrequently,” said president of the SU Pan-Hellenic Council Mary K. Sims. “Theyare not getting caught so they just keep doing it.”
On Wednesday, the Phi Beta Sigmaand Zeta Phi Beta area behind Augusts C. Blanks Hall was found defaced withgreen spray paint. Paint was found on their tree, trashcan, all four benchesand the cement between their trees.
“You know how you put your heartand hard work into something and somebody just trashes it, it just hurts yourheart,” said Genael Moore, senior history major from Shreveport and member ofPhi Beta Sigma.
Jeremy Noah, junior computerscience major from Baton Rouge and member of Phi Beta Sigma believes thevandalism took place during broad daylight.
“I came over here at 9 a.m. andnothing was wrong,” Noah said.
This is not the fist time theSigma tree was vandalized. In fall 2004 their letters were removed from theirtree and hidden behind the Southern University Law Center.
“It is people that probably wantto be a part of a organization,” said member of Phi Beta Sigma Eddie Green,senior criminal justice major from New Orleans. “A few years ago when therewasn’t that many of us around this wasn’t happening. Now that we get larger andpeople see that, they want to be a part of the organization.”
Zeta Phi Beta the sisters of PhiBeta Sigma are familiar with “hatters” vandalizing. They found pink spray painton their tree at the beginning of Zeta week on March 21.
“I am mad. Because what did wedo to you? We are a people sorority. We welcome everyone to our tree,” saidLatoya Wilson, child development graduate student and member of Zeta Phi Beta.
In spring 2004 the Delta SigmaTheta tree on side of Augustus C. Blanks Hall facing the Smith-Brown MemorialUnion was covered with pink and green silly string and littered with trash.
“It is hard to stop if you don’tknow who is doing it,” said Rena Mallet, a member of Delta Sigma Theta.
“Somebody is always watchingGreek organizations.”
The Omega Psi Phi mound wasspray painted and sprayed with silly string at the same time as Delta SigmaTheta.
“It is a tragedy, because we asGreeks take pride in our organizations and it is an insult to what ourfraternities and sororities stand for,” said Roderick Hinton, senior politicalscience major from Oklahoma City, Okla. and member of Omega Psi Phi. During thefall 2004 semester the Alpha Kappa Alpha tree was covered with ketchup, mustardand other condiments and trash.
According to Director of StudentLife Robert Bennett a student can be suspended or expelled from the universityif they are caught or identified as the culprit.
“Our students have to be moreresponsible. If they are doing this, they will be punished,” Bennett said.
He suggests that when vandalismtakes place anywhere it should be reported and filed with the policedepartment.
He also suggested to give smallrewards to people that can give tips about the acts of destruction. “Put out asmall reward and see who comes forward,” Bennett said.
Pan-Hellenic Council AdvisorRussell Frazier thinks it may just be random acts of violence.
“I think it may be some studentsdoing some random acts,” Frazier said.
“Things get crazy at the end ofthe year and some folks are just looking to get into something.”
