Moving the statue of a donkey from the top of the Sigma Pi fraternity house has happened dozens of times on campus over the past few years, George Haymans, house corporation attorney, told The Daily Mississippian.
Earlier this month, that prank turned violent, according to the family of Jeremy Boyle.
Around 4 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, Jeremy Boyle was doing homework. Those who know him say late nights in the dining area with books are normal for him. But then he saw someone wearing khaki pants in the yard.
Brian Boyle, Jeremy’s father, told The Daily Mississippian that when his son went outside to see who was there, he saw four men wearing what he described as ‘pledge attire,’ and one man wearing a black ski mask.
Five Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity members and pledges were arrested Friday, Oct. 16, and charged with the assault of Jeremy Boyle.
Boyle, a junior accountancy major from Pennsylvania, went to the University Health Center and later Baptist Memorial Hospital with a concussion, several broken teeth, a ruptured eardrum and a lung contusion.
Pi Kappa Alpha president Gunnar Knudtson said on Thursday that the fraternity did not sanction this act.
“This is an individual act,” Knudtson said. “This is in no way affiliated with our organization.”
The University of Mississippi and the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity have zero tolerance policies for hazing.
“We are proud to have a zero tolerance policy,” Knudtson said. “We stand by that.”
The University’s policy says any students who participate in or condone hazing may be subject to the University judicial system as well as civil or criminal liability.
Robert Boyle, grandfather of the victim, said this matter is one the University must handle.
“This incident, aside from its concussion, broken eardrum, broken teeth etc., is a disgrace to the University and a black eye for fraternities everywhere and a continuing worry for everyone that we allow this kind of brutal mentality to remain on campus and coddle a fraternity that at least tolerates this behavior if not, in fact, promotes felonious assault,” Robert Boyle said in an interview Thursday. “You must realize that no male or female is safe on campus while you allow these kinds of brutal thugs to roam freely. The University must put the innocent student first and not set up the occasion for these predators to strike again.”
Tucker Cole Steil, a general studies major and Pi Kappa Alpha, was arrested on a felony-level charge of assault. James Declan Basile, a business student, was arrested on charges of assault, hazing and larceny for the theft of the Sigma Pi statue. Christian Guy and Kyle Hughes, business majors, and Austin Rice, an engineering major, were arrested on charges of larceny, according to the University Police Department report.
“They could do this again to somebody,” Brian Boyle said. “There’s no example that’s been made of this regrettable assault.”
Pi Kappa Alpha members were required to attend a mandatory meeting with the Office Of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct on Monday, Oct. 12, according to a fraternity student’s email sent to The Daily Mississippian. They were asked to bring no belongings to this meeting.
Aniesha Mitchell, director of the Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct, said she could not comment due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Jeremy Boyle and Chris Carter, director of communications for Sigma Pi fraternity executive office, declined to comment at this time.
University representative Danny Blanton said the University is preparing a statement.
See theDMonline.com for updates.
