FeedLocal: A few new details about Sigma Nu incident
September 24, 2008 in Local Tags: Barbara Van Auken, Bradley University
The Journal Star’s Leslie Fark got a look at a Bradley University campus police report on this weekend’s incident outside the Sigmu Nu frat house. There are a few incidents I didn’t have, including allegations of shoulder poking and finger waverying.
And the headline: “Report: Van Auken tried to use position.”
Oh, the horror. Next thing you know, someone on the council will be using their position to mitigate a zoning dispute or, heaven forbid, helping a neighborhood organization get a stop sign.
At least she was doing it on behalf of constituents. I seems to recall allegations some former council members tried to “use influence” to defect domestic abuse charges, protect the son of a city manager from robbery charges, get out of traffic tickets, etc. But that was back when John Stenson was chief of police. Stenson moonlighted as a security guard at the the Journal Star. It’s a small world.
So what is it that Barbara Van Auken did that was wrong? She was intoxicated, some say. She was beligerent, according to some reports. There is a video, I hear. No one I’ve spoken to has seen it. If the video backs up the campus police version, she should apologize. Hell, it’s probably a good idea to apologize now.
But with more than 50 tickets issued in the past several months on this block, there’s something going on that needs to be addressed by Bradley University. The full-time residents who invested in homes in this neighborhood know they live among college students. They don’t expect a suburban lifestyle, and I doubt they are complaining this loudly about minor stuff. They don’t have to put up with drunk school children tossing bear bottles from roofs, or lighting fireworks every night.
I wouldn’t have bought the argument about the mean city council member picking on the poor innocent BU students four years ago when someone else represented the 2nd District. Joanne Glasser needs to live up to promises she made to the entire community — including the worried parents of BU students — that an end was coming to the binge drinking culture that contributed to two deaths last year.
And THAT should be the issue here, not whether some city council member poked a campus cop and used salty language.
And next time, I suggest Van Auken call one of her (apparently) teetotaling critics to respond to constituent who call in the middle of the night seeking help to quiet their neighborhoods.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:59 am
In response to your point about all the tickets being issued on Fredonia frat row, this has been occurring for the last 15-20 years, ever since the greek houses have been there. BUPD gives out many tickets for noise, public intoxication, open alcohol containers, etc. Peoria Police would of done the same thing as the BU Police in this incident. They wouldn’t have given a ticket when they go back the 2nd or 3rd time if there’s NO noise, which in this case there was NO noise the 2nd and 3rd times back. The first time the BUPD went, there was a little music on and about 30 kids out back. The music was turned OFF and everyone went inside except for a few kids went to the front porch to talk. The 2nd and 3rd time the BUPD went back, there was no one in the backyard or alley in which the complaint was originating for. Peoria Police and BUPD are not going to write a ticket for noise they don’t hear on arrival. If the complainant wants to be seen and wants to sign a ticket, then it has to be issued, but other than that, it’s up to the officer to write a ticket. First time they go out a warning is issued. Next time they come and it’s still deemed loud then a ticket will be issued. And trust me, BUPD writes plenty of tickets. Any student can attest to this. They have been dealing with this for 10+ years. They know a disturbing party when they see one. Every frat house is going to have some noise on a weekend night, you can’t expect BUPD to sit in front of every house and give them all tickets for the slightest of noise every hour. That doesn’t count all the students that walk up and down frat row all thru the night. Peoria Officers would not have written a ticket in this case had it not been for Van Auken showing up and forcing city PD to write them a ticket. If that was the neighbor that showed up at there house yelling and being belligerent, she would of went to jail for disorderly conduct. It’s also interesting, that this lady, who has never complained on the loud music before, just decided to start complaining excessively last Friday. Many other frats nearby have had booming parties before this one, why didn’t she call on those and just this one night against Sigma Nu. It all seems suspicious, almost makes me think BU was framed to look bad in this case. Especially just hours after BU and the neighborhood association met. If I were BUPD, I wouldn’t even patrol these neighboring blocks if the residents hate BUPD so much. BUPD would get to those houses in half the time PPD would on almost every call but I wouldn’t go there if it was up to me. Make em suffer if they want to play this war.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:57 am
bobthe1st,
Very well put and you depicted it just as it happened! I feel the same, as Fraternity member very near Sigma Nu, and witnessing the whole event, this was a pretty clear cut case of power tripping!
If you wish to see how I saw the events check out my comment (#33) here: http://pundit.blogpeoria.com/2.....or-months/
September 25th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Yeah Billy. Let’s not call the police like us regular surfs have too. Let’s just take the law into our own hands and get some torches and burn these frats out. I guess no matter how you see it, it isn’t the party here, they happen all over all the time, it’s the fact that a city Representative, drunk, swearing like a sailor on home leave, was out practicing what the police do. She should be reprimanded. If people condone this, then this is probably why our neighborhoods suck. Or at least one reason why. I’ll bet you anything if you get drunk, then go on someone’s porch yelling about a loud party, you’ll go to jail. Why are you kneeling to this? Does she have nude pictures of you are something?
September 25th, 2008 at 6:38 am
This broad Van Auken, once she took the call from her constituent, reacted emotionally, by all reports. One can understand that if she was toxic at the time. But, what she should have done was waited until she was sober on Monday before she acted on the constituents complaint. Then she should have set up a meeting between her, the university, the university and city police and perhaps the mayor or whoever else was appropriate.
I learned a long time ago when I used to live in apartments, that you never go to the noise makers apartment and ask them to “turn it down”. It never ended with the desired results.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:15 am
The Bradley students who have posted seem oddly unaware that picnic tables in the front yard and “students that walk up and down frat row all thru the night,” not to mention 10 years of noise complaints and dismissals that “every frat house is going to have some noise on a weekend night,” isn’t exactly the kind of thing homeowners want in a neighborhood. And those home owners help make that neighborhood safe and viable. Do you really want to “Make em suffer” when you’re here only part of the year for a few years, while they’re here contributing to the long-term stability of those neighborhoods? Do you really view Peoria as a disposable place where you can behave badly, knowing that you get to skip town and leave the results of your bad behavior to fall on the students who come after you? (And don’t you think that students before you behaving this way is part of why the neighbors have such an animus against current students? Because they too treated their housing and neighborhoods as disposable and temporary?) Because the posts from BU students so far are coming across as being too self-centered to be aware of neighbors’ concerns. It doesn’t sound like people who want to work with neighbors to solve problems, or students who are being persecuted by an overzealous neighborhood association; what I’m reading in these comments is a dismissive attitude that “we’re college students, of course we’re going to behave badly, live with it.”
And I’m sure that there ARE overzealous neighbors and that the BU students have some legitimate complaints about their treatment. But their comments so far (”Make em suffer”) aren’t doing themselves any favors, I don’t think. With this kind of dismissive attitude towards the residents of the city and the neighbors of university housing, no wonder there’s some town-gown tensions.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Unfortunately, many students don’t understand that there is a different set of rules to live in a public neighborhood than there are to live on campus.
I live on Cooper St. (800 block)
The ticket crackdowns have had a desired effect; a couple of years ago I could have never slept with my windows open. Now I can; either the students who live there have accepted the fact that they should be quieter or the rental houses have attracted a more mature type of student.
I don’t know which is the case; I do know that things are better now than they’ve been for some time.
It has been well over a year since I’ve had to call the police.
So, BVA may not have acted in the most gracious manner, but I am glad that she is doing something.
September 25th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I for one, believe every word the frat brats utter.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:07 am
If I live next to a highway, I should expect to hear traffic noises. If I live next to Fraternity Row, I should expect to hear college kids (who don’t go to sleep at 9 pm.) Don’t want to hear college kids’ noise? Don’t move next to campus!!! Pick a nice quiet neighborhood with families…or at least a house not on Fraternity Row! Sheesh.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Eyebrows — I don’t think it’s so much “screw this neighborhood/city” as it is “you live next to a college; this is the nature of the beast.” I agree that students who live in these neighborhoods should be conscious of the fact they’re not the only ones living there, but I wouldn’t say they’re being malevolent, even with the absent disregard expressed in some statements.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Is there really anything else for students to do during their spare time other than binge drink? How have other universities in other states tackled the issue of noise and binge drinking (other than writing tickets and yelling at students). What opportunities are the frats offering that are missing elsewhere. The city of Peoria is not known for its on-campus nor off-campus recreational opportunities.
Peoria is just another, tired, dirty, run-down factory town. You would think that Bradley would care enough about its image that it would buy up all the real estate surrounding the university, contact an eclectic developer, and then turn with the city to turn the area into another version of downtown Champaign. Perhaps proactive alternatives to binge drinking could also be created in a regenerated neighborhood.
As dancers rarely drink any alcohol when dancing (you would quickly get too dizzy on the dance floor if you tried), why not encourage an under 21 ballroom to be built within walking distance to Bradley. For the facility to survive year round, make it an alcohol-free, non-profit club. Encourage ballroom/swing/salsa/Argentine Tango lessons and formal dances. Is the Peoria Park District interested. They could make it a joint venture with Bradley. Don’t tell me Peoria does not have any money to make it happen. How many expensive-to-maintain golf courses does the Park District own? (Lots!).
If most middle class Peoria residents avoid shopping and eating in the Bradley area, then what does that say about the surrounding neighborhood? Why would anyone want to send their kid to an expensive, private university, if it is nestled in the middle of a run-down, questionably safe area of Peoria? Nothing to do in the dumpy area but binge drink. I don’t get it.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Hey if you live off campus, you have to follow the appropriate laws, period.
If you can’t do that, don’t live off campus.
The fact is that many of these neighborhoods *were* family places until landlords started buy houses and rent them to students (or in some cases, the parents bought the houses for their little darlings).
All I ask is that the city rules be enforced.
Where I live, that has happened recently, in large part thanks to BVA’s efforts.
September 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am
“Is there really anything else for students to do during their spare time other than binge drink?”
Um… study? Take more courses cause clearly you got the time if you are binge drinking. Bradley is also building its students a nice shiny new rec center for them to play in. Seriously if you can’t find ways to expand your educational experience at Bradley then you are failing on some level.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I will add this… employers can tell when they look at your resume. They can tell who was doing the weekend binging and who was doing something constructive. Being ‘greek’ isn’t particularly helpful either.
September 25th, 2008 at 10:03 am
“Um… study?”
Thank you, Mr. Common Sense.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Hey Ron, bobthe1st, and SFX97:
Mark Twain once said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Stop talking before any more people take BVA’s side.
September 25th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I can honestly say that I don’t really care about this issue, but I have learned three things: 1) Van Auken is a power tripper; 2) Billy Dennis will always defend his friends, even when they shouldn’t be defended; and 3) college students tend to drink and make a lot of noise on weekends (no wait, I already knew that). The other thing I learned from this is that some of the longest and most carefully thought out and detailed postings in recent memory are about an intoxicated power trippin councilwoman and whether some college students should try to keep it down (the noise that is) after midnight. I guess there is nothing else going on in the world that’s more important; except maybe whether the City should have to pay to protect the President of the United States when he comes to town to shmooze and raise some money.
September 25th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
So…is it the landlords that rent to students that make the neighborhood bad?
Do all students think Peoria is a trash town and screw it because they aren’t going to be here long?
Students are students so in their spare time they should just shut up and study?
Employers really that psychic that they can spot a Greek partier?
Belonging to frat kills your resume?
Aren’t all people who live in the 2nd District BVA’s constituents? Students and homeowners?
Don’t they deserve equal representation?
If you talk loud, swear, and poke your finger on a police officer’s shoulder, will you go to jail?
Does Mahkno really resent the shiny new rec center being built and thinks it will cause more problems for students?
Does Mahkno ever really have a clue? (if that’s your real name)
Did anyone read Phil’s column in the PJS today? (a real journalist)
September 25th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Many commentators have stated that if you move in the vicinity of Frat house “what do you expect” but to endure illegal noise violations. When choosing a home, price, availability, and proximity to work and groceries are often key considerations. We cannot always eliminate nuisances in the bargain.
Let’s look at the implications of this argument.
If you move next to a Frat house, “what do you expect” when your child is awakened by a noisy party?
If you move into the neighborhood of a sex offender “what do you expect” when your child is molested?
If you move into the neighborhood of a gang house “what do you expect” when your child is the victim of a drive by shooting?
Others argue that it is much like moving next to an airport and then complaining about the noise. Except it isn’t. The airplanes are not violating the law. The loud parties, the child molesters, and the gang bangers are!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Tulip, your argument is absurd and ridiculous. From all the police accounts so far the frat heeded the initial warning and was not in violation during the subsequent complaints.
Not to mention all of you anti-frat people are acting like they are a single entity. Each violation should be treated on an individual basis, if the Sig-Nu house was the only problem frat it would be different, but its not the case. The “they had it coming to them because of all the other problems with frats” arguments are irrational and discriminatory.
If its a systemic problem then BVA is clearly not acting in the best interest of her constituents because confronting one frat isn’t going to do crap, and she should have known that. Either she was out looking for trouble because she was on an alcohol inspired power trip or she is an incompetent elected official not willing to take the time to address the real issue… or both.
Yes a neighborhood next to a college campus is going to be louder than one that is not. But the fraternity in this case wasn’t breaking the law, they met the request of the police. BVA however was breaking the law by tresspassing.
Maybe we should be saying, “live in a district with a power crazy, police abusing, law breaking, drunkard of a council person expect to get your rights violated”.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Wow Tulip. Way to equate college frat kids with gang bangers and child molesters. I’m speechless.
11Bravo - thank you for that response.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Tulip,
Umm…If I moved into Compton, I would fully expect my house to get shot up. That’s why I don’t live in Compton.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
If you did move to Compton you would expect some effort to clean the place up.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Wow… Mahkno… I don’t think anyone would expect to move into Compton and have people clean it up. MM is right on what to truly expect in that situation.
As for this statement…
“Um… study? Take more courses cause clearly you got the time if you are binge drinking. Bradley is also building its students a nice shiny new rec center for them to play in. Seriously if you can’t find ways to expand your educational experience at Bradley then you are failing on some level.”
… I’m curious about how your college experience was. I’m assuming, by your statements so far, that you spent your entire time in your dorm room, in the gym, or quietly studying in the library. You also forced your university of choice to start holding classes on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Sunday mornings. You never once touched a beer or attended a kegger with those pesky red cups, either.
As a Bradley alum, I’m also a bit bothered by your statement in regards to drinking and getting a job. True, drinking can affect these things, but to say that my boss could tell that I’ve done a keg stand or two by looking at my very exemplary resume, none of which I needed to fake, is totally bogus. Hell, come to think of it, I was performing at SOPs last Friday night when Ron White and Rascal Flatts all came in smashed, and they still make more money than you or I do. I’m not saying this is a reason to binge drink and think you are above the law, but to expect someone to not partake in such activities is simply absurd.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I never joined a fraternity. I did not want to “buy” my friends.
Belonging to frat does kill your resume. Why bother to belong if you cannot hang out and binge drink with your “brothers.” Or do you seriously believe that the main purpose of a fraternity is performing “community service projects.” (Yeah, right.)
The problem with Bradley is that too many students think Peoria is a trash town and screw it because they aren’t going to be here long. Really, how many of them are seriously interested in staying in the Peoria area after they graduate?
September 26th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I’m also curious, Billy, as to how many of those tickets were serious offenses? If I looked in a heavily populated area, let alone a college town, I could probably find a good neighborhood with enough tickets issued to support my standing on an issue. What about the tickets (or ambulance visits, rather) to the neighborhoods down the hill on Western? I’m guessing that those carry a bit more weight than Joe Blow Frat Guy who forgot he had a beer in his hand when he walked home.
As for President Glasser’s vow to change the student life and mentality in regards to drinking, how do you expect that to happen in a year? Really? The woman is good, but she isn’t Wonder Woman. The things she has done for the university and the surrounding area have been quite beneficial and she is pushing for major change harder than anyone has in a long while, but you can’t just change the mentality of a crowd of people and their beliefs that have been held on to tightly overnight. I think Dr. King and President Lincoln learned that one, if I do recall.
I think this whole thing could really be handled and dealt with better on both sides. I think Babs needs to apologize whether she felt she was wrong or not, and the frats need to come to an agreement that they will try to keep the noise down and apologize as well, whether or not, once again, they felt it is needed or not. No one is willing to make that step and that’s a sad fact. If Peoria is as great of a town as we say it is and turn around and start fighting over a little noise issue instead of other major things going on, then I think we are losing sight of things real quick.
And, in this day and age, that’s more dangerous than any frat boy or drunk councilwoman.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Ron… you’d be amazed at how many Peorians are Bradley alum. Might be a good statistic to look into.
September 26th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Thanks for the sobering correction, Michael. I don’t suppose any statistics exist for Bradley. It doesn’t make sense to debate this point any longer. I do know that most ISU students look forward to leaving Bloomington/Normal as soon as they graduate.
I am not from here. While getting to know the Peoria area, I was surprised how crappy the area around Bradley was. I was expecting a university with a funky, hip, artsy neighborhood surrounding it. No such luck. I had hoped that the city would have a dynamic waterfront with lots of family friendly activities and decent, mid-range, Chicago restaurants. Instead, I see restaurants that would go out of business within a month if they were forced to compete anywhere in the suburban Chicago area. I see a hole in the ground that is supposed to become the new Lakeview museum - someday.
When will Peoria rise from the ashes. Have any of the Peoria councilmen/women ever visited cities outside of central IL? Do they actually return with innovative ideas. Will someone wake up Van Auken to the bigger problems facing Peoria.
September 26th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Ron says: “Will someone wake up Van Auken to the bigger problems facing Peoria.”
I hear this a lot. When someone takes a stand on ANY issue in this city, someone will, eventually, say that this stance is a waste of time and energy because there are OTHER issues more important. Complain about crime, and some says its a distraction from the failure to eliminate the garbage tax. Oppose the garbage tax, and people scream about property taxes.
Again, most of the full-time, permanent residents of this neighborhood say this problem is worse this year than in years past. And most say they completelty GET that they live next to a university.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
“Um… study? Take more courses cause clearly you got the time if you are binge drinking. Bradley is also building its students a nice shiny new rec center for them to play in. Seriously if you can’t find ways to expand your educational experience at Bradley then you are failing on some level.”
Yep, and, you know, all 18-year-old who are suddenly free from their parents are model citizens. Every single one. I know a few frat boys at Bradley; they have enforced study hours and take the same number of courses as everyone else on campus. Also, as a college student myself (elsewhere), I spend a lot of time studying. I have friends who spend more time partying than they/I do studying and maintain a higher GPA than I do. Studying doesn’t cut down drinking.
Also, being Greek, at least on the female side, can help your resume, especially if you get into leadership roles either in the chapter or in the chapter’s philanthropy. Plus, Greeks have their alumni come back to meet the current members. Unless every single person the Greek system churns out is a good-for-nothing bum, being Greek shouldn’t hurt you.
“The problem with Bradley is that too many students think Peoria is a trash town and screw it because they aren’t going to be here long.”
Like most U of I students, I plan to leave Champaign-Urbana, but I do not think of it as trash. While students from the Chicago area may poke fun at the area or local traditions (see: corn mazes) because they see it as a farming town or something, they still love coming back each fall. I believe the difference could lie in how the cities treat their students, and the Sigma Nu incident is probably not a check in the “Why I Should Like Peoria” column.