Omega Sigma Tau pledges may be victims of hazing

Monday, April 6, 1998

Omega Sigma Tau pledges may be victims of hazing

FRATERNITY: Of 26 students, three are hospitalized for fatigue;
there is no evidence of alcohol or drug abuse

By Nick Rodrigues

Daily Bruin Contributor

Two students are still in critical condition after a possible
hazing that police suspect occurred the Friday before spring
break.

Marshall Lai, an 18-year-old UCLA freshman, is still in critical
condition and is being treated for kidney failure at the UCLA
Medical Center, and another pledge, Derrick Ku, was hospitalized in
San Jose with similar symptoms. The third student, a 19-year-old
sophomore from Orange County, was released from the medical center
on Thursday.

Robert Naples, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus
life, said that the pledges underwent a "boot camp experience." Lai
and the other 25 pledges had to endure hours of push-ups, sit-ups,
running and other activities. As of yet, there is no evidence of
alcohol or drug use.

Doctors alerted UCPD to possible abuse last Monday when Lai and
the unnamed student were being treated for exhaustion and
dehydration.

Chancellor Albert Carnesale said that he was monitoring the
condition of the students.

"The matter is under investigation. My heart goes out to the
families and friends. First thing is to wish them a speedy recovery
and then look into actions and see what’s necessary to make sure
this never happens again," he said.

The three students were pledges of Omega Sigma Tau, a fraternity
which does not own a house or an on-campus office and has 75 to 80
charter members. So far the 26 pledges have not yet supplied
authorities with further information.

"The pledges still have a sense of loyalty to the fraternity,"
Greenstein said. The Bruin has tried to contact Omega members and
pledges, but so far none have returned calls.

However, fraternity member Eric Chen did talk in his
fraternity’s defense.

"I’m not really sure what happened – nobody is," he said. "This
is not how our fraternity operates. It’s based on community
service. This is a freak incident. I don’t think it’s hazing. We
don’t haze."

Joen Choe, a friend of Lai, said that the feeling among friends
was "shock and disbelief." Choe described Lai as a "popular guy who
was a pretty good student and athlete."

"I don’t think any of us were the frat sort," Choe said of their
high-school days. "But he was, definitely, at the end of high
school when he got into the party scene."

The police acquired a list of the 26 pledges, and by Friday had
contacted all involved. According to Nancy Greenstein, director of
community services for UCPD, the priority at the time was to "make
sure they were OK." It was then that a third student, Ku, who went
home to San Jose, was found.

According to Greenstien, although the police are receiving "a
lot of conflicting information," they are slowly putting a picture
together.

"We’re going to get more information on Monday when students
return from spring break," she said.

If there is a case against Omega Sigma Tau, they could lose
their university affiliation or face criminal charges.

Hazing includes any initiation that could cause bodily danger or
degradation resulting in physical or mental harm. It is considered
a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment in the
county jail for up to a year.

When asked if this incident was rare, Naples said that there are
600 organizations on campus.

"I would say there are things going on that we don’t know
about," Napeles said. "So as far as things like this coming to our
attention, yes, it is rare."

With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.