AMHERST — For many UMass students, the arrest of a Theta Chi fraternity member charged with strangling a female student last month has been a sobering moment, but one they say the university has taken seriously.
The member, who lived at the fraternity’s house at 496 North Pleasant St., allegedly put a female student in a chokehold Oct. 23. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of strangulation and assault and battery. Protests at the house escalated Nov. 6, when police dispersed masked demonstrators banging on its doors and windows.
On Thursday afternoon, a group of Theta Chi members said they had no comment. One yelled from a second-story window for a reporter to get off the property.
Other students had plenty to say. Several said they were pleased with how the university has handled the situation, after the student was removed from UMass.
Carter Nichols, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said fraternities on campus have taken the allegations seriously, and he described the incident as a “tragedy.”
He said Theta Chi has stopped holding parties at its house since the allegations surfaced, and that students have been boycotting the fraternity.
“They’ve tried to minimize their presence on campus, and I think it’s been pretty well received by students on campus,” he said.
Nichols was having lunch in the Campus Center with his friend Julianna Trudeau, who said many people believe the university has handled the situation well.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of people protesting right now because he’s kicked out,” Trudeau said. “It’s one thing if he wasn’t kicked out, then we would protest. But I feel like there’s consequences that he’s facing.”
The two praised the university’s resources for reporting incidents and preventing violence and assault, including the Student Legal Services Office, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, resident assistants and peer mentors. Students must complete training on alcohol and sexual violence before orientation, and fraternities and sororities must attend a forum on the dangers of hazing.
They said the incident could have happened anywhere and did not reflect a toxic culture at Theta Chi, though they said a fraternity’s size increases the odds of one member behaving badly.
“I don’t think that the brothers at Theta act any different from other crowds,” Trudeau said.
Hannah Gromko, a senior, agreed. She said Theta Chi sometimes has a negative reputation, but she has not seen anything troubling there.
“I’ve been there for a party once or twice, but I don’t have a personal experience of anything bad,” she said.
Gromko said she sticks with friends when she goes out and never accepts a drink from anyone. She said she was glad to see the university act following the allegations.
“I think people are happy that something is actually being done … instead of just dismissing it,” she said.
