On the subject of PETA...

[SouthLink02 8]

Figured you all could use some Georgia comedy

Fraternity member might face expulsion, jail for animal cruelty

By NICOLE GOSS & PURVI PATEL

Published , January 20, 2004, 06:00:01 AM EDT

Erik Robert Zimmerman, a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity member who allegedly killed a raccoon Dec. 12, could face animal cruelty charges if a local magistrate approves Athens-Clarke County Animal Control's arrest warrant application this week, said Patrick Rives, animal control superintendent.

"The only individual who can actually be charged is the one who killed the raccoon," Rives said.

At the same time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the fraternity to expel those members of Phi Kappa Psi who participated in the incident, according to a letter sent to the University's Interfraternity Council Jan. 15.

"The act was completely unprovoked, they just took it upon themselves to beat the raccoon," said PETA Investigations Spokeswoman Stephanie Boyle.

"UGA needs to make an example out of them," she said.

Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of the national fraternity, said he is contemplating expelling those involved.

"In the scheme of things, it's not out of the question for us to expel or suspend these students from our organization," he said.

Anne Chynoweth, counsel to investigative services at the Humane Society of America, went one step further, asking the students be expelled not just from the fraternity but from the University.

"People who care about animals need to know UGA is taking this seriously."

ANNE CHYNOWETH - Counsel to Investigative Services at the Humane Society of America

"If UGA fails to hold the students accountable, they can do it again," Chynoweth said. "Taking delight in killing an animal for entertainment should not be acceptable at UGA."

"People who care about animals need to know UGA is taking this seriously and that this is not just a case of 'boys being boys' to be credible," Chynoweth said.

For the moment, the Interfraternity Council, the governing body for fraternities at the University, has decided not to take action.

"Because it was not a fraternity endorsed event, we decided it was best for their executive council to take care of it internally," said IFC President Latham Saddler. "If we feel they're not doing enough, we'll step in."

Rives said Friday that ACC Animal Control has collected evidence and is prepared to file the application, but it has been unable to meet with solicitor general Ralph Powell to decide on a date for a court hearing with a local magistrate.

Powell said if the magistrate grants the warrant, and if Zimmerman is convicted, the fraternity member could face up to 12 months jail time and a maximum fine of $1,000.

Both PETA and the Humane Society have been monitoring a trend in animal cruelty among fraternity members in the last few years, including an incident at Davidson College where fraternity members lured a goose away from her family and beat her to death with a golf club.

As a result, PETA and other organizations are requesting to have an animal abuse clause added to fraternities' mission statements.

"We are seeing this trend in animal cruelty escalate in fraternities," she said. "We are asking for a prohibition on the use or abuse of animals in the language of the fraternity's mission statement."

"Acts of animal cruelty tend to happen during Rush. It never fails that somewhere that's being done," she said.

Chynoweth said the University fraternity members should seek counseling.

Boyle echoed those sentiments and said, "anyone doing this kind of thing to an animal has the potential to do the same thing to a human."

Collinsworth said he will be addressing the issue of adding an animal cruelty clause with his executive council this week.

"We are considering whether it is a viable solution," he said, "but what might be more pertinent and more important is the education of our members so that this won't happen again."

"Our first responsibility here is to deal with the situation and the three members involved. The second step is to make sure this behavior doesn't happen again and to insure our undergrads know this is not acceptable behavior," he said.

[CarolinaTiger 0]

we had a group of frat boys up here take a pig out to the woods and get it drunk and leave it in the woods *i imagine the pig wasn't the only thing drunk*.

anyway, someone finds the pig a day or two later -- it's sunburnt & such, and the frat boys get written up & charged, etc....lots of bad press.

i lived a sheltered life growing up.

ct

[Tigermike 3,710]

we had a group of frat boys up here take a pig out to the woods and get it drunk and leave it in the woods *i imagine the pig wasn't the only thing drunk*.

anyway, someone finds the pig a day or two later -- it's sunburnt & such, and the frat boys get written up & charged, etc....lots of bad press.

Was this a four legged or two legged pig?

[SouthLink02 8]

we had a group of frat boys up here take a pig out to the woods and get it drunk and leave it in the woods *i imagine the pig wasn't the only thing drunk*.

anyway, someone finds the pig a day or two later -- it's sunburnt & such, and the frat boys get written up & charged, etc....lots of bad press.

i lived a sheltered life growing up.

ct

[BamaGrad03 0]

People for Eating Tasty Animals....mmmmmmmmmmmm

[TitanTiger 21,237]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat.

[DKW 86 7,898]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat.

Thank you Homer Simpson.

[SouthLink02 8]

I love how PETA shows it has nothing better to do at this time then prosecutre college kids for 1 little animal

[CCTAU 3,536]

we had a group of frat boys up here take a pig out to the woods and get it drunk and leave it in the woods *i imagine the pig wasn't the only thing drunk*.

anyway, someone finds the pig a day or two later -- it's sunburnt & such, and the frat boys get written up & charged, etc....lots of bad press.

i lived a sheltered life growing up.

ct

wwwweeeeeeeeee! wwwwweeeeeeeee! wwwwwweeeeeeee!

[MDM4AU 338]

On the subject of PETA...