Escape Goat

I was overwhelmed when I became a Pi Kappa Alpha pledge at the University of Maryland in September 1988. Just a few months removed from high school, I was suddenly operating in an adult world.

One of the many decisions I had to make early on was choosing a Big Brother in the fraternity. I got to know some guys during rush and came up with my list of three potential Big Brothers.

The Fraternity Choice: Big Brothers and Little Brothers - Escape Goat - A Novel I was overwhelmed when I became a Pi Kappa Alpha pledge at the University of Maryland in September 1988. Just a few months removed from high school, I was suddenly operating in an adult world. One of the many decisions I had to make early on was choosing a Big Brother in the fraternity. I...

I was just reading the old Pi Kappa Alpha rag sheets from my time in college, and they would probably get some people suspended from school these days.

Fraternity Rag Sheets: Brotherly Love and Hate - Escape Goat - A Novel It was the fall 1988 Christmas/Graduation party at the Pi Kappa Alpha chapter at the University of Maryland, where I first saw a fraternity rag sheet. As brothers and their dates mingled and downed drinks, a pile of photocopied, stapled pages appeared.

It was early 1992 when the IFC President and Sigma Chi brother, Todd Violette, misused his power to scapegoat Pi Kappa Alpha and levy an unjust and irrational punishment of 16 weeks of social probation.

The ugly truth was that he was still bitter about PiKA breaking Sigma Chi's streak as IFC sports champs.

I got an opportunity to say my piece when the Diamondback covered the story and amplified his lies.

My fourth and final issue of the Greek Times at the University of Maryland was published in September 1992 and featured a letter from a law firm about content in a previous issue, roach-killing advice, my love letter to the Greek system, and an article lashing out at the school paper, the Diamondback, over their coverage of fraternities and sororities.

I published four issues of a Greek life newspaper at the University of Maryland called The Greek Times, and I got a nastygram from a lawyer about content in the third issue.

The Fake Advice Column That Got Me in Legal Trouble - Escape Goat - A Novel

When I was pledging, I got a 1.0 GPA and was on academic probation. I was able to improve my grades, stay in school, and graduate, but I saw so many pledges have awful academic semesters and disappear from school.

So, I helped establish a GPA requirement for pledges when I was on the Interfraternity Council. Hopefully, this helped pledges focus more on their grades and stick around as students.

My third issue of the Greek Times at the University of Maryland was published in May 1992 and featured a censored picture of one of my naked brothers, a fake advice column that resulted in a legal threat to me, some very opinionated letters to the editor, and an article about "smurfing" people who had passed out.

While I was chugging delicious keg beer at tailgates at the University of Maryland, I was also encouraging fraternity and sorority members to drink responsibly.

My Hypocritical Role in a Responsible Drinking Greek Organization - Escape Goat - A Novel My experience at the University of Maryland was akin to one of Winston Churchill's speeches. Specifically a radio address he gave in October 1939 about World War II when he said, “It’s a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…”

The Diamondback newspaper at the University of Maryland regularly published anti-Greek articles in the early 90s, and when I had a chance, I’d write a rebuttal, like the one below.

Who knows if these letters to the editor persuaded anyone, but they were cathartic to write.

My second issue of the Greek Times at the University of Maryland was published in March 1992 and featured an unscientific s*x survey, a fake advice column, an article about date r**e, and morning drinking on a snow day.