Delta Tau Delta apologizes for homophobic fliers

Homophobic rush posters distributed across campus last month were recently revealed to be the… Homophobic rush posters distributed across campus last month were recently revealed to be the work of a single member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

According to Delta Tau Delta President Shawn Bowers, the entire episode, for which his fraternity apologized in a full-page advertisment in the Feb. 8 edition of The Pitt News, made the Greek community look like something it’s not.

“The actions of one person portrayed the views of the whole fraternity, and we, as a whole, do not feel that way at all,” Bowers said. “Our entire chapter condemns what that individual brother did.”

The fliers, which referred to Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha brothers as “limp-wristed,” labeled the fraternity’s members gay and listed a variety of fictional Rush Week activities, including numerous explicit sexual acts.

Bowers said Delta Tau Delta took immediate action on the issue.

“Within 12 hours, we already started our plan of action and we compiled a letter to [Vice Provost and Dean of Students] Dr. [Jack] Daniel, and met with Sharon Malazich, the Greek adviser, about our fraternity’s position and what we planned to do from there,” Bowers said.

Bowers said Delta Tau Delta held a meeting about its position and plan of action the night after the fliers were posted. Bowers said that at the meeting, the brother who created the fliers confessed.

The brother was then suspended indefinitely from Delta Tau Delta, which prohibits him from attending fraternity meetings, committees, parties or any other Greek event until he graduates.

Bowers said he spoke with Christopher DeLuca, president of SAE, and explained the situation. DeLuca did not return calls requesting a comment and Pi Kappa Alpha President Michael Kerr declined to comment.

Bowers said he and John Algie, treasurer of Delta Tau Delta, met with Rainbow Alliance President Sandra Telep to explain the fraternity’s position on the issue and to apologize.

Telep said she is happy with the way the fraternity is handling the situation.

“I’m impressed that they aren’t taking it lightly or brushing it off,” she said.

Telep feels that both the Greeks and the Rainbow Alliance get a bad reputation on Pitt’s campus.

“Not all Greeks hate gay people and not all gay people hate fraternities and sororities,” Telep said. “We’re hoping to make this incident an opportunity to mend ties between the Rainbow Alliance and the Greeks.”

“The Rainbow Alliance has always tried to educate the entire community,” Telep said. “People fear what they do not understand and we’re trying to minimize that.”

Delta Tau Delta will also make a financial contribution to an organization of the Rainbow Alliance’s choice.

Bowers said he also contacted Dr. Jamie Washington, a nationally renowned speaker on diversity topics. Washington expressed an interest in speaking to all University students, not just Greeks, about sensitivity training and diversity issues on campus.