I am writing to you on behalf of the Executive Counsel of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. SAE is a fraternity founded in 1856 that is guided by a set of principles called “The True Gentleman.”
“The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions of achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.”
At SAE, we try our best to uphold these standards set forth by our founding fathers. This means for us, a zero tolerance for drugs. We have taken all the necessary precautions to make sure we stay true to this. One of the aforementioned precautions is having a qualified security staff. We make sure to have as many officers that we deem necessary at all SAE events. Our head of security is a law enforcement officer, along with every other security guard hired by SAE.
The reason for this letter is the “Bad Dawgs” section in The Reflector dated Sept. 7.
“12:21 a.m. A student was arrested at the SAE house for possession of marijuana.”
“12:21 a.m. A student was arrested at the SAE house for felony possession of marijuana.”
We feel that the incidents were poorly portrayed in the “Bad Dawgs” section and would like for you to hear them from us, first hand.
The first incident occurred Sept. 1. Two students, who do not have any affiliation with SAE, were found smoking marijuana in the house. Our security staff was immediately notified and the situation was handled in the most proper and professional manner. The drugs were seized and the students were escorted off fraternity grounds. At this point, our head of security spoke with the students and decided that it would be best to turn them both over to the Mississippi State Police Department. After conferring with the police department, our head of security returned to the fraternity house, as the situation was in the hands of the MSU Police Department.
The second incident occurred Sept. 2. A fellow Greek student, who again does not have any affiliation with SAE, was attempting to enter fraternity grounds. He pushed through security and entered through the back gate. He was immediately apprehended and escorted off of fraternity grounds. Our head of security proceeded to question him to understand what exactly was going on. He felt that he had sufficient reason to search the student. He then found a felony amount of marijuana on the student. He followed the same professional, proper procedure as before and turned the student over to the Mississippi State Police Department.
As with any incident of the kind, there will be repercussions. Our president, Gray Boyles, met with Tabor Mullen, Associate Dean of Students, and Cedric Gaithings, president of the Interfraternity Council, the following Monday. During this meeting Boyles was sure to let both Mullen and Gaithings know exactly what happened. SAE did not suffer any consequences and was even praised for handling the incidents properly.
However, we still managed to receive bad press. We wanted to make sure all the students of MSU and readers of The Reflector understand that the incidents were beyond our control and that we handled them the best way possible. We hope this dispels any rumors that may have surfaced from the incidents. I thank you for your time and understanding on behalf of the Miss Theta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.