Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / July 31, 1980, edition 1 / Page 31
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Thursday. Ju't SI. IS33 The Tu Heel 78 eatures I? vices lu i x a auis i iLJijffl m i clji n clj; u m huicmm mil By Clifton Barnes 'I sent Billy to Chapel Hill to attain the highest 'development of intellect and character," O.R. Rand said. "I trusted to the care of the University my beloved boy; he was returned to me a mangled corpse." Isaac William Rand, 19, of Smithfield, was killed in a hazing incident in 1912. ' UNC has a rich tradition of hazing with Billy Rand's death being the oldest case on record. Shortly before midnight on Sept 12 freshman Billy and his freshman roommate were forced out of their East Building (Old East) room by four sophomores, according to an account in the Raleigh News and Observer on Sept. 14. Still in their bed clothes the two boys were blindfolded and led to Emerson Athletic Field (where the Carolina Union is today). The four hazers cursed the two students and ordered Billy's roommate to get on a barrel and balance. He was then ordered to jump to a nearby fence. As he did so he fell and gashed his knee. Billy was told to get on the barrel. The hazers laughed and cursed him as he mounted it. He was commanded to sing "Home, Sweet Home," but he refused. One report said the barrel was then kicked, but whatever the truth Billy fell and his weight smashed the barrel. Inside was broken crockery and glass. A triangular piece of glass slashed Billy's throat. The hazers ran and within minutes Billy was dead. The four sophomores were found guilty of manslaughter, sentenced to four months in jail and given a $100 fine. They never served any time, opting for a work program. They were suspended from school indefinitely. UNC President Francis Preston Venable said the next day that the University's laws against hazing of any kind were as severe as they could be and were enforced rigidly. He said that from 1910-1912, 19 boys were dismissed from school for hazing. The death prompted the N.C. Legislature to pass a law making hazing a crime. It was the first time any official . notice of hazing was made in North Carolina laws. The Rev. A.B. Barnes, a Methodist minister from Smithfield, said in Rand's eulogy: "God had a purpose in his (Billy's) untimely death in putting an end to hazing in the colleges and universities of our state." It was not the end of hazing. The practice continued more discreetly until an alleged near tragic accident occurred in 1950. However, this accident was not known publicly until April 1952, when Daily Tar Heel editor Glenn Hardin wrote an open letter on her last day in office to Gov. Kerr Scott The letter urged him to prevent further cases of "dangerous and humiliating hazing as practice as a part of some fraternity initiation." Hardin said hazing, which includes: "annoying any student by playing abusive or ridiculous tricks upon him, to frighten, scold, beat harass or to subject him to personal indignity," clearly violates state law. She claimed that one student, not identified, almost died in 1950 after being forced to drink a mixture of tobacco and onion juices. Also some students had been beaten bloody, she said. .The incident possibly caused University officials to make some changes in 1950. The Interfratemity Council, which governs the fraternities, instituted a "Greek Week" to take the place of a rougher "Hell Week." The calmer week consisted of banquets and a field day. For the first time the IFC also set up penalties for hazing. On June 26, 1952, a committee of students and faculty reported that it was unable to find evidence of "any serious hazing problems' at Carolina. The report found no cases of actual physical torture, but there were a "few isolated instances of minor technical violations of the campus codes" in connection with initiations. But by March 1958 non-public instances of hazing prompted a warning to all fraternity houses. IFC president Tucker Yates said the warning eliminated some hazing but in other cases merely induced fraternities to be more quiet about it. . Because hazing existed despite the warning, Yates wrote a letter to all faculty in February 1959, urging them to report hazing incidents. "The fact that hazing was being practiced was brought to my attention by a member of the faculty," the letter said. "He had two students whose work had "definitely been affected adversely by . fraternity (initiations)." Since the '60s there has been a meeting every semester to give fraternity presidents and administration officials an opportunity to talk about hazing. Hazing came back into the public ey e in the fall of 1 978. After a night of drinking, Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledges were left on a country road to find their way back to Chapel Hill, according to a DTH article. UNC freshman Pell Tanner was struck by a truck and spent three weeks in the hospital with multiple fractures. "There is a lot of hazing," said Tom Terrell. 1978-79 I FC president "It's primarily small incidents counting bricks in the sidewalk silly and time-wasting activities that possibly involve no mental or physical harm." . The University Hearings Board found SAE guilty of hazing and put them on social probation for a couple of months. They could not hold any parties until the probation time was up, but they could have informal rush activities. "In a way, they (SAE) are getting punished twice," Tanner said. "What happened to me is punishment enough. The other punishment is really for everybody-to set an example. But I don't think it will do the other fraterniues any good. I don't think it will stop hazing." It didn't. In October of 1979 two UNC students drove a blindfolded pledge to Pittsboro and told him to find his way back to Chapel Hill. The pledge was arrested for unlawfully operating a school bus. The other two were found guilty of misdemeanor hazing charges. On Feb. 26, 1980, the IFC announced a new plan where pledges can make complaints anonymously. "We want to stop hazing before it can start," John Blumberg, IFC president, said. "With this change, wc would like to do away with it c6mpletely. "With this confidentiality, pledges now have an alternative to report hazing activities," he said. "Hopefully more hazing violations, if there are any, will be reported." fedttan ot CTm fete Ifilo You're going to spend the next 1-4 years in Chapel Hill. You're going to need a good bike or moped, and if you're smart a good shop to back it up with all the service and advice you'll need. You simply won't find a better selection of out standing bikes and mopeds than the list to the right, and you won't find a better shop to buy one from than The Clean Machine. Or better prices. Or better service. In fact, we offer SIX MONTHS FREE tune-ups on all new bikes. And we have an outrageous selection of used bikes, if you're on a tight budget. . What's more, for the bikers who need a little boost up hills, we carry a complete line of Batavus, Peugeot and Puch mopeds. For years, more Tarheels have done business (and found pleasure) with The Clean Machine than with any other bike shop. Come see us and find out why. Id) Lea Fan n?"inrn vir" CeMtmiPildDim frtr'zZ'kr 7X17 J L"- WMtti mm mJ M y W mi L 2 mm J IPGOJCSGCDTi r i I .Ji . i ? J J CARRBOftO ' ' IMF UC A TTUTTTTX 110 W. Main St. Carrboro 967-5104 A step mm cann Mlie cm
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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July 31, 1980, edition 1
31
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