Editor’s Note: The Michigan
Daily has used several anonymous
sources to report this story.
As stated in the article, we are
honoring our sources’ requests
to be quoted anonymously due
to fears of retaliation from their
fraternity brothers or the greater
fraternity
and
sorority
life
community for speaking out. In
accordance with our ethics policy
(which can be found in full in our
bylaws), the reporter of this article
and two editors have seen the
names and fraternity affiliations of
our sources, as well as the evidence
they provided The Daily.
Fraternities
affiliated
with
the
Interfraternity
Council
have engaged in recruitment of
freshmen
members
this
semester
against
University of
Michigan
policy,
a
Michigan Daily investigation has
discovered.
The IFC is a governing body
for most fraternities overseen
by the University. The Daily has
confirmed at least eight out of
the 18 IFC-affiliated fraternities
invited freshmen to participate
in
the
recruitment
process,
extended bids to freshmen or
currently have freshmen pledges.
Though all sources quoted in the
article told The Daily they believe
every IFC-affiliated fraternity
conducted fall recruitment of
freshmen students, The Daily
could not independently confirm
this information.
The Daily was also given
documentation showing at least
one
IFC-affiliated
fraternity
used
freshmen
pledges
as
sober monitors for at least one
party, despite the fact these
freshmen
students
did
not
receive the required University-
administered
training to serve
in this capacity.
The
IFC
is
one
of
four
fraternity and
sorority
life
councils
at
the University.
The Daily has
received
no
confirmation any organizations
within the other three councils —
the Panhellenic Association, the
Multicultural Greek Council and
the National Panhellenic Council
— engaged in fall recruitment
of freshmen students. The Ann
Arbor Interfraternity Council,
a group of fraternities that
disaffiliated from the University
last fall, does not fall under
the University’s
jurisdiction.
Because they are not beholden
to the deferred rush policy,
these fraternities were free
to openly recruit first-year
students.
The six students interviewed
in this article have requested
anonymity for fear of retaliation
from the fraternity community.
To protect the identities of these
sources and their safety on
campus, The Daily has decided
not to publish the names of
the fraternities linked to the
evidence it has received nor
the evidence itself.
A freshman pledging an
IFC-affiliated
fraternity,
who will be referred
to as Student 1 in this
article, shared with The
Daily an email that was
sent to him about “pledge
education.”
Because
freshmen
rushees
and
pledges are not registered
within and thus not recognized
in the University’s fraternity
and sorority life system, Student
1 said there would be no way
for a freshman student who felt
uncomfortable or unsafe to file a
complaint or incident report.
It would also be difficult to
hold those responsible for harm
within the fraternity accountable,
Student 1 explained.
“The University has no idea
I’m pledging, they have no record
of it,” Student 1 said. “I mean,
officially they don’t have my
name down. And if I die, now it is
harder for them to prove that it’s
because of a hazing incident.”
“With any new policy enacted,
implementation takes time to
perfect”
In March 2018, University
administration
decided
to
transition to deferred recruitment
for freshmen students beginning
in the 2019-2020 school year.
All
students
eligible
to
participate
in
fraternity
or
sorority
recruitment
must have completed at
least 12 credits at the
University and be in
good academic and
behavioral standing.
The
change
came a semester after
the IFC voluntarily
suspended
all
social activities for two months
in 2017 to avoid sanctions from
the
fraternities’
headquarters
following multiple incidents of
hazing, drug and alcohol abuse
and sexual assault.
Deferred
recruitment
was
part of the University’s five-
year
Diversity,
Equity
and
Inclusion
plan
for
first-year
students. The goal of the deferral
was to enhance the first-year
experience for students to “create
opportunities for students to gain
skills for long-term academic
success, develop sustainable and
healthy relationships and engage
with a diverse living and learning
community,”
as
detailed
in the Year Two Progress
Report.
The
IFC
and
the
Panhellenic
Association
denounced the move when it
was first announced, releasing a
statement arguing that deferred
recruitment violates “the right
of students to freely associated
[sic]
and
freely
express
themselves without coercion
or undue influence from the
University.”
In response to The Daily’s
request
for
comment,
IFC
President Nicholas Wasik, an LSA
senior, reiterated the University’s
existing policies on misconduct
complaints and sober monitor
requirements. He wrote in an
email that the IFC continues to
work towards ensuring a safe
experience for all students,
which includes a zero-
tolerance
policy
towards hazing.
“With any new
policy
enacted,
implementation
takes
time
to
perfect
and
the
Interfraternity
Council
in
conjunction with our
university partners
are working to carry
out all our policies
to the best of our
ability,”
Wasik
wrote.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Young
Americans
for
Freedom
brought
Steve
Forbes,
the
chairman
of
Forbes Media Company, to the
Michigan League for a lecture
titled
“How
Free
College
and Healthcare will Destroy
America” Tuesday night.
YAF, a conservative group on
campus, has hosted speakers
such as Ben Shapiro, Dinesh
D’Souza and Buzz Patterson.
Before introducing Forbes as
the keynote speaker, Lincoln
Ballew, chair of YAF, talked
about the mission of YAF.
Forbes shared his opinion
on a range of topics regarding
government and policy. He
started
his
speech
about
capitalism and the historical
change of American inflation.
Forbes went on to discuss the
problem with socialism and
why he believes it will never
work in America.
“Socialism can try, but it
always wreaks havoc,” Forbes
said.
“The
problem
with
socialism is that it tries to
predict the future. You can’t
predict the future. Nobody can
pretend to know the future,
so stop. Socialism thinks it’s
predicting the future and that’s
why it’s stagnant. It never
worked, even in Europe.”
When the topic of taxes
came up, Forbes shared his
criticisms on the federal tax
income code.
Ann Arbor voters approved a
$1 billion school bond proposal
on Tuesday. The bond passed
by a six-point margin, with
53 percent of voters in favor
and 46 percent opposed. The
30-year bond will be used
to
make
improvements
to
Ann Arbor Public Schools’
infrastructure, sustainability
and technology.
In the first six years of the
construction
window,
the
bond will be used to add air
conditioning,
LED
lighting,
solar power, kitchens, outdoor
classrooms,
collaborative
learning spaces and improved
security to the schools, in
addition to constructing the
two new schools.
In a statement to The Daily,
Superintendent Jeanice Kerr
Swift said the city currently
has 32 schools, which are
housed in 35 buildings that
are an average of 63 years
old. She said the bond plan
was
developed
by
various
stakeholders in the Ann Arbor
community.
In 2018, AAPS commissioned
an independent company to
conduct a facility condition
assessment across the district’s
schools.
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 20
©2019 The Michig5n Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CL A SSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
Journalist
and
author
Anand Giridharadas explained
corporations
can
contribute
to
inequality
while
making
misleading
claims
about
philanthropy during a discussion
Tuesday at the Ross School of
Business.
About
500
people
attended the event, which was
hosted by Joe Árvai, director
of the Erb Institute for Global
Sustainable Enterprise.
Giridharadas,
author
of
“Winner’s Take All: The Elite
Charade of Changing the World,”
is a Michigan alum. He previously
worked as a journalist and covered
India for the International Herald
Tribune and The New York Times.
Árvai
asked
Giridharadas
about his newest book, as well as
several other topics ranging from
global management consulting
for McKinsey & Company and
working as a political commentator.
Giridharadas
spoke
with
The Daily prior to the event. He
noted
the
recent
controversy
surrounding real estate developer
Stephen M. Ross, the largest donor
in the University’s history and for
whom the Ross School of Business
is named.
Author:
T
ake Ross
name off
of school
BUSINESS
Forbes CEO calls for national
tax overhaul, criticizes socialism
YAF hosts Steve Forbes for discussion on politics, economic policy
$1 billion
bond for
A2 schools
approved
ANN ARBOR
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
KELSEY PEASE/Daily
Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media gives a lecture titled “How Free College and Health Care Will Destroy America” in the Michigan League-
Tuesday evening.
University-affiliated fraternities conduct freshman
fall recruitment in violation of U-M regulations
CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter
JASMIN LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | NOVEMBER 6, 2019
What does reality
PHOTO BY DANYEL THARAKAN
mean to a diarist?
statement
See BOND, Page 3A
JENNA SITEMAN
Daily Staff Reporter
Writer calls for removal
of controversial donor,
discusses philanthropy
Millage proceeds will
go toward building,
technology upgrades
MAEVE O’BRIEN
Daily Staff Reporter
At least one fraternity used freshman pledges as sober monitors without proper Fraternity & Sorority Life training
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
See FRATS, Page 3A