Dear Mr. Funston, The Board of Regents, and Dr. Berner,

 

As you are aware, word of the recent troubles on the mountain has spread quickly and virally to the greater Sewanee Community at large. As unpleasant as it is, the unified response from many of the alumnae, parents, friends, and donors has been heartwarming. Sewanee was and is a special place to us and our collective effort is to ensure an enduring Sewanee for years to come.

 

The recent attempt to kick TKP off the mountain has laid bare the ongoing duplicitous efforts to end the fraternity/sorority system at the school. Other holes in the University have been uncovered as well, such as an inability to offer some basic courses. For many of us, our finest memories of Sewanee were formed in the bonds of friendship we made in our fraternities and sororities, or the welcomeness we felt at all the social houses, whether we were members or not (EQB). Sewanee is not like most schools in that almost all its social life revolves around the Greek system. Ending this system will make Sewanee just another school, but one that is isolated on a mountain and far from everything. That is not a concept that is easy to market.

 

The “investigation into hazing” was a poor plan, executed dreadfully. The complaints about the bullying by the investigator Mr. David Westol were outrageous, and the fact that no one from the administration reached out to the students is unacceptable. The alleged comments to some of the women “what is your favorite condom”, “are you a virgin”, and to one of the men “you are a piece of shit” were cringe-worthy at best and borderline criminal, especially if they came from someone representing the University. This should have been an internal matter and handled much differently.

 

The head of Greek Life, Mr. Donald Abels, should have never been hired; his police report alone, from his time employed at LSU, should have been grounds enough to disqualify him. He allegedly posed as a rushee online to entrap fraternities and then allegedly posed as the mother of a rushee to complain of alcohol at rush functions.  In the ensuing police investigation, he allegedly lied to the police. Is this the type of person we want at Sewanee, much less running Greek Life? One must ask, given the seeming strong desire to end the Greek social system, if his alleged duplicitousness at LSU was what got him hired in the first place?

 

As concerned alumnae, parents, friends, and donors the following is what we need to see from the University to continue our support financially, and philosophically:

 

-A reinstatement of all fraternities and sororities as there has been a tainted process run by tainted people.

-An acknowledgement and greater understanding that the Greek social system is and needs to be an important and continuing fabric of the school.

-An Interfraternity Council/Discipline Committee made up of the students to enforce rules and hand out discipline.

-The immediate termination of Mr. Abels.

-An immediate investigation into how Mr. Abels was hired in the first place, and – if his background was known the termination of those responsible for his hiring.

-An immediate investigation into the allegations against Mr. Westol.

-An immediate end to the hiring freeze so that professors can be hired to teach basic courses such as Psychology.

 

While we are saddened to have to send a letter of this nature, we do so out of our desire to see Sewanee flourish for years to come, as the extraordinary place we all know and love, and not turn into just another school that happens to be in Sewanee.

 

Sincerely,

 

Concerned Alumnae, Parents, Friends and Donors to Sewanee