Monday, September 24, 2012

Frat Party of the Weekend

Sigma Phi Epsilon 57 Olympia Drive 

While maybe not up there with Moses parting the Red Sea, the deluge that suddenly fell from the skies Saturday night around 11:00 PM -- peak time for parties to start humming -- put a refreshing damper on large out-of-control affairs like the ones broken up late Friday night on both sides of the UMass campus.

Around 11:40 PM Friday, APD responded to a huge party at Sigma Phi Epsilon that the President and Vice President described as "a social," arresting those two officers of the frat and writing up 14 more "college aged youth" for both noise and nuisance house violations ($600 each times 14 or $8,400).

Plus another two party goers were ticketed for open container violations (at $300 each).

One responding officer said the noise could be heard all the way up to East Pleasant Street, about a quarter mile away from the frat that's located at the very end of a dead end road.

It took seven officers twenty minutes to disperse the crowd, estimated at just over 1,000; and perhaps more tickets would have been issued except APD responded to a call from Hadley police for help quelling a large boisterous party on North Maple Street, dispatching two units to assist.

Arrested for Noise/nuisance:

Dustin Crawford, 57 Olympia Drive, Amherst, MA, age 22  (UMass student and Frat President)
Alessandro Raffa, 18 Payson Rd, Belmont, MA, age 20  (UMass student and Frat VP)



15 comments:

  1. Great publicity for the chapter, and by extension the national organization of Sig Ep (who I expect will hear of this). Embarrassing for the brothers who did not partake in this party, and shameful for those who did, especially the President and VP. As a member of a different fraternity at UMass, I want to say that the majority of brothers find this type of behavior UNACCEPTABLE. Yes, fraternities and sororities hold socials and parties, but it should never reach this point. If I were a brother of Sig Ep, I would be ashamed to wear my letters this week, which is unfortunate because I'm sure many of those brothers are respectable members of the community.

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  2. Why are you printing some of these comments Larry? I thought you had comment moderation to prevent this very thing? As a gay person I don't appreciate coming here and reading the first comment. How did that comment contribute to the discussion? If someone had posted "you're a 'n word'" would you have posted that? I have enjoyed this blog alot over the years but lately I have found some pretty objectionable posts and comments. Thats too bad. I hope it does not drive away too many readers.

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  3. Anonymous 929, get lost. I graduated UMass, and I am ashamed I share a diploma with a name on it with you.

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  4. That's clearly not a student posting either at 5:56pm and 9:29pm. If you say it is, prove it.

    Almost anyone can post anything in this format to make it look like some particular demographic is saying it.

    That's not students saying that, it's probably the red-headed Roach trying to stir things up for Larry who's not getting any attention on this.

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  5. "That's not students saying that, it's probably the red-headed Roach trying to stir things up for Larry who's not getting any attention on this."


    Aw, wrong again.


    (at least you're consistent)

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  6. I think these comments should eliminate any sympathy anyone might have for these students who are creating these disturbances. Nothing more convincing than self-indictment. Leave 'em up Larry. Richard Marsh.

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  7. The only ones I don't publish are threats to my family.

    Anon 11:03 PM:
    If that was directed at you (or anyone else) I would not have published it.

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  8. Mr. Marsh very succinctly pointed out how that comment contributes to the discussion.

    As journalists say over on Twitter: "Retweets are NOT an endorsement."

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  9. Larry said "The only ones don't publish are threats to my family." Now Larry, you know that is not true at all. You have not published many of my comments that were very innocuous - just stuff you did not want to print. The unpublished comments were not threats to anyone. Recently I sent in a post on a different thread commenting on how childish the discussion had become. Again, not posted.

    So, don't say the only things you don't post are threats to your family. That's just plain bullshit. And you know it.

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  10. @10:26PM, your President and Vice President were arrested, which means their names are public record. So nobody is "dropping names" as you so eloquently put it. Also, if you're a brother of Sig Ep, which I'll guess you are, you probably know your national organization knows about this party, and the violations it constitutes. Now, I'm all for partying and getting crazy on the weekends, but not when it leads to arrests, and brings the (your) fraternity into disrepute, although it's apparently deserved. In any case, if you want to meet up and talk about this in person, let me know and I'll accommodate you at the next IFC meeting.

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  11. That's not students posting on here--it's someone trying to exacerbate the college student/town resident relationship problem Larry has created here on his blog.

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  12. WHAT THE HELL LET US PARTY WHO ARE YOU TO PUBLISH MY NAME ARRRRGGH!

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  13. Well, they could have also included the alcohol enemas like another fraternity...

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  14. Someone said: "This is college. And this shit will NEVER stop." They may indeed be correct. And that's the real shame of it all. The point of college, allegedly, is to learn how to think and learn. I don't see that as the real objective of many of these self-proclamed "students." One certainly can learn AND party, blow off steam, whatever. However the behavior of many of these partygoers is just plain embarrassing. Well, at least, I'm embarrassed for them. I'm also embarrassed for comments such as: "Noise cannot portray this party as a bad thing." It makes me wonder if college loans are worth it when this kind of mentality is present. It's too bad that some college loans can't be revoked based on behavior.

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