Dean of Students Office investigates anonymous report against SAE chapter
The Panther received a letter Nov. 12 that contained a sexually explicit alleged fraternity chant, claimed to be connected with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Chapman University. SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor
UPDATED NOV. 24, 7:14 a.m. PT: Gavin Cook, The Panther’s student business manager, visited the Dean of Students Office Nov. 12 to pick up the publication’s mail for the first time since early March. He only received two envelopes, one of which illustrated a PDF photo print-out and an anonymous tip. In the letter’s contents, the sender shared what appears to be a sexually explicit fraternity chant, accompanied by the following message.
“Found these in the forum in one of the meeting rroms (sic) on the second floor,” the sender wrote. “This is BS … these guys should not be on our campus.”
The anonymous reporter claimed the alleged chant, titled “Sororities,” is associated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter at Chapman University. The chant conveys indecent behavior toward a virgin female’s bodily autonomy.
“She was a virgin in her freshman year / She was a virgin with her conscious clear / She never smoked nor drank nor even pet / She was the sweetheart of the campus you can bet,” the chant reads. “Until she met up with an SAE / And then she lost her damn virginity / She did it once, twice ooooh it felt so nice / With an SAE / Roll over baby … it’s better on the other side!!!”
The final line of the alleged chant states the fraternity will never recruit a “Tigger,” a racial slur for a Black individual.
The alleged chant conveys indecent behavior toward a virgin female’s bodily autonomy.
Jed Malashock, president of the Chapman SAE chapter, told The Panther the “horrific messages” aren’t attributed to the fraternity. He asserted that Chapman’s SAE chapter is not connected to the chant, condemning the anonymous reporter’s claim, and noted that the fraternity hasn’t held chapter meetings since in-person courses were first suspended in March.
“Anyone who supports the offensive and horrific messages displayed in this insulting parody of one of our fraternity songs has no place on this campus,” wrote Malashock, a senior business administration major, in an email to The Panther. “I do not know of the contents of the photo you received, but it is not related to us as we have not been inside of an (Argyros Forum) room for the entire semester.”
“Anyone who supports the offensive and horrific messages displayed in this insulting parody of one of our fraternity songs has no place on this campus.”
As of The Panther’s Nov. 16 report to DeAnn Yocum Gaffney, Chapman’s lead Title IX coordinator, the Dean of Students Office is actively investigating the letter and its alleged ties to Chapman’s SAE chapter. Due to the possible eight-month gap between the letter being mailed and The Panther opening it, the first step in the investigation process is to identify when the letter was originally sent.
“It’s highly problematic if this is indeed a chant that (SAE is) using,” Yocum Gaffney said. “We have to go through a policy analysis, but I find it reprehensible, very offensive and clearly targeting a projected class.”
Malashock declined The Panther’s request to elaborate over the phone on the chapter’s stance and commitment to aligning with “The True Gentlemen” rebranding the national SAE fraternity has curated. At large, SAE has been coined the “Sexual Assault Expected” fraternity – a parody of the organization’s Greek letters. As demonstrated by “The Hunting Ground,” a 2015 documentary on rape crimes at U.S. colleges and universities, SAE was referenced as one of the most predatorial fraternities among claims of female sexual assault and rape cases.
As such, when SAE was reintroduced to Chapman’s campus in the fall of 2019 – after being suspended in 2014 for hazing – some sorority members and female students were anxious. A now-deleted image on Chapman SAE’s social media depicted a man posing between two women’s backsides, both of which had “SAE” written on them.
A now-deleted 2016 photo from an Instagram account that appeared to belong to Chapman’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter showed women with SAE’s letters written on their bare buttocks.
Jaclyn Dreschler, the assistant director of Student Engagement responsible for overseeing Greek life, has been in contact with Malashock regarding the letter. She told The Panther it’s “naive” to assume fraternities and sororities haven’t had issues in the past that don’t require proper addressing.
“What was in that document was extremely concerning from a personal level, institutional level and fraternity and sorority life level,” Dreschler said. “That shouldn’t be a part of any of our organizations and that is not what they were founded on or built on.”
Yocum Gaffney said it may be difficult to proceed with the investigation, given that there is no postmarked date on the anonymous letter. She commended the sender for forwarding the information, noting that while cases of false reporting are possible, they’re exceptionally rare at Chapman.
“The vast, vast majority of complaints that we receive are made in good faith,” Yocum Gaffney said. “I certainly take this information very seriously … but I can’t really tie (the letter) to anything with this limited information. There could be many explanations for what was sent.”
The Dean of Students’ Office is currently investigating the letter and its alleged ties to Chapman’s SAE chapter. If any readers have additional information connected to the anonymous report, please reach out to the Dean of Students Office.