The Gang War: AU v. EI

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Universities have a duty to provide their students with a safe learning environment and protect their students by any means necessary. When the safety of the campus environment is compromised, students then have the right to scrutinize their university’s failures and work towards an effective resolution. This is the standard to which I hold all institutions, including American University, whose security was breached in 2001 and has remained as such for over a decade. For the safety of my peers and the posterity of the AU’s reputation, I must maintain this standard and address the issue that has lied dormant for the past several years, that now looms in the darkest corners of campus and threatens to surface without warning or mercy. I’m referring to EI, formerly known as Epsilon Iota and colloquially known as the on-campus “gang.”
The EI Issue
What was once AU’s chapter of national fraternity Alpha Tau Omega is now a rogue band of students with no governing body and no reason to follow the rules by which real fraternities abide (Fraternity and Sorority Life). As punishment for violating AU’s alcohol and anti-hazing policies, Epsilon Iota lost its status as a Greek fraternity and was disbanded by the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the administrative board responsible for all fraternities on campus (Fraternity and Sorority Life). The remnants of the chapter then fled underground and reformed as a legion of uncontrolled anarchists. Since its resurrection, EI has maintained a foothold on campus and in the surrounding area, terrorizing the university and nearby D.C. residents (Tyrka). To describe EI’s history as troublesome would be an understatement.
As chronicled in the student-run news publication, The Eagle, the conflict between AU...

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...Nov. 2013. .
Mathiasen, Robert E. "Moral Development in Fraternity Members: A Case Study." College Student Journal 39.2 (2005): 242-252. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Ryan, Mackenzie. "Ex-fraternities Still Active." The Eagle. American University, 7 July 2003. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. .
Tedeschi, Jen. "Interview with the Office of Greek Life." Personal Interview. 6 Nov. 2013.
Tyrka, Samantha. "IFC Wants Two Fraternities Out." The Eagle. American University, 28 Sept. 2006. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. .
“Welcome." Fraternity and Sorority Life at American University. American University, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .

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