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Group Notes Harmful Trend in Animal Abuse

 

Thu Jan 29, 3:09 AM ET

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By LORI JOHNSTON, Associated Press Writer

 

ATHENS, Ga. - Fraternity brothers have dropped a puppy off a Mississippi

River bridge, beaten a goose to death with a golf club and abandoned an

unconscious, intoxicated pig in a park.

 

 

 

 

More recently, Phi Kappa Psi members killed, skinned, burned and ate a

raccoon at the University of Georgia.

 

 

 

These and other acts on campuses across the country have drawn the fury of

animal lovers who say such abuse has grown into a dangerous trend because it is

too often treated as innocent college hijinks.

 

 

 

" Animal cruelty is a crime and certainly can't be accepted. Years ago it had

to be made clear that rape is a crime, " said Ann Chynoweth, The Humane Society

of the United States' counsel to investigative services.

 

 

 

She recently wrote to the North-American Interfraternity Conference, asking

it to educate its 350,000 undergraduate members about animal cruelty and its

connection to human violence.

 

 

 

But Pete Smithhisler, spokesman for the Indianapolis-based conference,

dismissed the idea that animals are in any more danger at fraternity houses than

anywhere else.

 

 

 

" No, we don't believe it's a trend, " he said. " I'm sure it came to light

because it was a fraternity. Do we think that incidents like these happen

everywhere? Yeah. "

 

 

 

The Humane Society said the puppy's death at Quincy University in Illinois,

the goose beating at Davidson College in North Carolina, and incidents

involving pigs at both Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Clarkson

University in Massachusetts back up its claims.

 

 

 

Experts on the Greek culture acknowledge that meanness toward animals could

be a byproduct of the wild behavior and drinking that have been part of

fraternity life for years, despite efforts to change the " Animal House "

stereotype.

 

 

 

" With alcohol, they lose all sense of propriety, they just don't think about

what they're doing. You see some ugly things when that happens, " said Dr.

Thomas " Sparky " Reardon, dean of students at the University of Mississippi,

which

has banned animals at parties to try to avoid instances of cruelty.

 

 

 

Stephen Sweet, a sociology professor at Ithaca College, said the intense

loyalty the fraternities require of pledges and members often warps the line

between right and wrong.

 

 

 

" It seems absolutely insane but if everybody says, 'This is what you've got

to go through,' then it becomes something where they'll submit, " said Sweet,

author of a book on the fraternity culture.

 

 

 

The Humane Society has asked the North-American Interfraternity Conference to

add to its expectations for fraternity members some recognition that the

humane treatment of animals is part of living with respect for others. Academic

integrity, drug and alcohol use, and abuse of human beings and property are

already addressed.

 

 

 

The fraternity group doesn't plan to add anything about animal cruelty,

Smithhisler said.

 

 

 

" It's really unfortunate that these guys thought that was a really neat thing

to do but I was pleased to hear that their fraternity brothers are holding

them accountable, " he said.

 

 

 

The individual fraternities have punished members by expelling or suspending

them and, in some cases, closing the chapter involved. Some students have

faced animal cruelty charges.

 

 

 

A Phi Kappa Psi chapter member at the University of Georgia called animal

control officers in December after he found the raccoon, which had been killed,

skinned and eaten by some of his fraternity brothers. Fraternity president

Larry Bales said the killing was not condoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" It was ... three members out in the back parking lot acting foolish, " he

said. " These were a few country boys that did this. "