Every brother and sister have their fights, but at Syracuse University, some of these fights can get out of hand.

Members of the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils have seen some problems with common fraternity and sorority pranks that have occurred on campus recently. Historically, IFC and Panhel have been involved in prank incidents in which one organization will steal a house composite from another organization. A composite is a poster of pictures of all members of an individual house.

The pranks are typically done by a fraternity to a sorority or fraternity to fraternity, said Josh McIntosh, associate director for administration and assessment in the Office of Greek Life and Experiential Learning.

Recently, incidents between organizations have become a more of a problem.

‘These pranks have created four rather significant conflicts this academic year,’ McIntosh said.

One particular incident happened in March at Alpha Xi Delta sorority, where a student attempted to steal the organization’s composite, according to a public safety report.

The incident became serious when Syracuse Police became involved in order to locate the student. As a result of the prank, an arrest was made for second-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal mischief and attempted petit larceny, the report added.

Pulling pranks on greek organizations is a criminal offense, McIntosh said.

‘It’s trespassing on other people’s property,’ McIntosh said. ‘It violates state law.’

Several greek students agree that pranks can cause unnecessary problems.

‘It’s breaking and entering, and it’s pointless causing more trouble,’ said Matt Goodman, the vice president of communications for IFC, the risk management chair for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a senior newspaper major.

In addition to criminal action, those individuals who participate in pranks can have organizational ramifications as well.

‘We try to involve the chapter advisers, the national board and the chapter presidents to rectify the situation,’ McIntosh said.

Students who are found to be involved in a prank will go through a disciplinary hearing, McIntosh said.

Although these pranks can lead to various legal problems, some fraternity members feel that pranks are just fun and games.

‘People take (composites) for fun,’ said Anthony Mattero, president of Sigma Alpha Mu, and a sophomore double majoring in television, radio and film and political science. ‘It’s like playing capture the flag.’

McIntosh, though, feels that for the people who have their composites stolen, the robbery is no laughing matter.

‘For (OGLEL), it’s not amusing. We have much more to do with our time,’ McIntosh said.

McIntosh feels that there seems to be a different way in which men and women view organization pranks.

‘Men think it’s a funny thing (and) women say it’s not funny anymore,’ McIntosh said.

Stealing composites occurs because of the value these pictures have on IFC and Panhel organizations.

‘It’s a $2000 picture but it’s more than that,’ Mattero said.

Composites maintain a historical significance to greek houses, McIntosh said.

‘It’s a symbol of the chapter,’ McIntosh said.

Composite stealing used to be more tolerable. But in recent years, new members have become more involved in committing the pranks, McIntosh said.

This semester, a prank got out of hand as a new member of Delta Tau Delta become involved in a situation that spun past a small organization prank.

The Delt brother was allegedly painted in blackface on his way to steal a composite from a sorority and was approached by a Public Safety officer in February, according to a public safety report.

The incident resulted in some controversy which shined a negative light toward these greek organizations.

Even though the fraternity said the incident was not meant to be racially offensive, this kind of situation is a prime example of how pranks can lose control, Goodman said.

‘(IFC) realized that what you do can be perceived as something else,’ Goodman said.

In Panhel, sororities have seen less and less of a problem concerning pranks between houses.

‘The Panhellenic Executive Council has not received complaints or concern specifically directed at the issue of pranks (recently),’ said Karen S. Snyderman, the public relations chair for the Panhellenic Executive Council, a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma and a junior advertising major. ‘If concern about pranks were to be raised to the council, we would absolutely support and develop a plan to effectively deal with any situations.’

While Panhel may not typically be responsible for the pranks, it does recognize a need to change.

‘Historically, pranks were out of the purpose of pure fun. More recently, we recognize that the situation could get a little out of hand,’ Snyderman said.

As for OGLEL, McIntosh is not pleased by the way members of the greek community have tried to create relationships between one another by pulling pranks.

‘I feel like there’s so much more of a productive way to develop relationships from chapter to chapter,’ McIntosh said. ‘It creates more conflict.’

Greek organization pranks bring about complaints from alumni and current students, McIntosh said.

Pranks may seem like a fun time for members of the greek community, yet McIntosh believes that the incidents are unnecessary and waste time for the organizations and their advisers.

‘(People) feel that it is a good old laughing time but it violates rights and trespassing,’ McIntosh said. ‘We can be spending more of our time on other things than this destructive, inappropriate behavior.’

Published on April 19, 2004 at 12:00 pm