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dailynebraskan.com
monday, march 17, 2014 volume 113, issue 118
Inside Coverage
Expanding the rainbow
A new spin
UNL’s LGBTQ clinic sees more visitors
Newest baton twirler learns UNL traditions
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Selection Sunday
For the first time since 1998, the Nebraska men’s basketball team claimed a No. 11 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The team will go toe-to-toe against Baylor on March 21. Check out the DN Bracket Challenge for more matchups. photo by jake crandall
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Sigma Alpha Epsilon eliminates pledge process SAE creates new policy ending pledging in attempt to stop hazing in its chapters nationwide Staff Report DN The brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity gave house tours to prospective members this weekend, but something was different this year: there’s no pledge process. On March 9, the national Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity eliminated the pledge process from all chapters because of hazing inci-
dents. Under the new policy, prospective members become part of the fraternity after receiving a bid, finishing the online Carson Starkey Pledge Certification Program and signing the Scope of Association Agreement. The Carson Starkey Pledge Certification Program is an online program that introduces prospective members to Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the fraternity’s policies, events and resources. To complete the certificate, members have to pass a quiz with 100 percent to ensure the perspective members understand all the rules and policies of the organization. The new recruitment process is named after Carson Starkey, who died while pledging because of excessive drinking at California Polytechnic State University in 2008. California Polytechnic State University suspended the fraterni-
There really is no reason for the pledging process.” adam pfeiffer
sigma alpha epsilon chapter president
ty and won’t consider reinstating the organization until 2033. Sigma Alpha Epsilon was labeled the deadliest fraternity by Bloomberg News. Nationally, nine students have died in events relating to the fraternity since 2006. The Lambda Pi chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln disbanded the pledge process for a period in the early 2000s, said Adam Pfeiffer, chapter president and a junior economics and English major. Members from UNL’s chapter told Pfeiffer that omitting the
pledge process is a positive change and will help with recruitment. He said he doesn’t know why UNL’s chapter of the fraternity brought back the pledge process. “There is really no reason for the pledging process,” Pfeiffer said. He said other Greek organizations might soon follow Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s example and get rid of their pledge process. “We’re happy to be leaders, not followers,” Pfeiffer said. news@ dailynebraskan.com
matt masin | DN
The Nebraska Lambda Pi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus on May 26, 1893, and has 110 active members today.
UNL student dies Saturday at Bryan West staff report dn A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student died after suffering from influenza Saturday. Kyle VerMaas was a sophomore biological systems engineering major. He died of influenza A or of related complications, according to updates on his mother Lisa Lierz VerMaas’ Facebook page. “We know you’re all waiting
Grace Thomas, a senior English major, and Yan Xin Lee, a junior computer science major, document an artifact for History Harvest at the Nebraska History Museum on Saturday afternoon. The event invited locals to share historical artifacts and stories for inclusion in a digital archive.
reaping the harvest
photos by Jennifer Gotrik
Women’s Week offers 15 events throughout week UNL participates in National Women’s History Month with speakers, panels, luncheon mara Klecker dn
Lee and Thomas volunteer at the Nebraska History Museum on Saturday afternoon for History Harvest. The harvest was organized by a UNL history class.
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on the MRI results,” Kyle’s aunt, Lori Lierz Kreifels, wrote on the Facebook page. “It showed the virus has taken over his brain. It is his wish that his organs be donated, so we stay and pray as they complete that process. Please continue praying for Kyle and his family.” VerMass had been in the intensive care unit at Bryan West since at least March 8, according to his mother ’s Facebook page. news@ dailynebraskan.com
This week marks the 35th Women’s Week at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fifteen events will celebrate women’s accomplishments while acknowledging the struggle for gender equality, said Jan Deeds, the director of the Women’s Center. “This week is important because even though things are better in many ways, there are still many obstacles for women, and women’s accomplishments are
not celebrated at the same level that men’s are,” Deeds said. The events include a film festival showing the work of Native American filmmakers, a presentation of the Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the Status of Women, a Feminist Pioneers luncheon and a panel discussion of women in the military. Deeds said she is most excited for the Feminist Pioneers luncheon on Wednesday because she remembers looking up to the women on the panel when she was a student at the Women’s Center in the 1970s and ’80s. “The stories they will tell are going to surprise and inspire anyone who attends,” she said. Deeds invites men to attend the week’s events as well. Men share the planet with women, Deeds said, and they too can gain from better understanding women’s lives.
women: see page 3