NC State fraternity placed on interim suspension after 'embarrassing, scary' book found

Pi Kappa Phi has placed its North Carolina State University chapter on interim suspension pending the outcome of an investigation into the contents of a book that was found at a restaurant near campus.

Posted 1:54 a.m. Mar 20, 2015 — Updated 1:44 p.m. Mar 20, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. — Pi Kappa Phi has placed its North Carolina State University chapter on interim suspension pending the outcome of an investigation into the contents of a book that was found at a restaurant near campus, the fraternity announced Friday morning.

The little, green book, filled with handwritten comments, included racially and sexually charged language and derogatory comments about women and children.

Calls to NC State's Tau Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Thursday night went unreturned. No one answered at the fraternity's national headquarters in Charlotte, either, but the fraternity posted on its website overnight about the interim suspension.

“The written comments and quotes reported earlier this evening are offensive and unacceptable,” Pi Kappa Phi Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Timmes said in a statement. “These statements are inconsistent with the values of Pi Kappa Phi and will not be tolerated. We have instructed our students to cooperate fully with all investigation efforts."

An interim suspension means that the fraternity can not hold meetings or participate in philanthropic events during the investigation.

Fred Hartman, of NC State's community relations department, issued this statement:

"NC State was made aware tonight of these disturbing allegations and immediately began investigating."

Katie Perry, a senior, at State, told WRAL News that her co-workers found what appears to be a fraternity pledge book at a restaurant near campus.

"That's embarrassing and scary," she said of the book's contents.

The comments were signed in places, and the names match up to those listed as brothers on the Pi Kappa Phi website.

"This is just a group of 60-something young men at State making jokes about raping people, raping children, raping dead women, making very overt racist comments."

At the fraternity's home on campus, no one answered the door Thursday night, although people could be seen inside the house.

"They were all sitting in the living room, but when they saw me they made a bee-line for the back room," WRAL's Ken Smith said.

A short while later, someone inside completely closed the curtains. Smith also saw several young men leaving the house and driving away.

By 9:30 p.m., the list of brothers' names was removed from the Pi Kappa Phi website.

Excerpts from the book are disturbing.

"It will be short and painful, just like when I rape you," one page reads.

"If she's hot enough, she doesn't need a pulse," says another.

"That tree is so perfect for lynching," reads another.

"Be kind to the whales because they'll lead you to the dolphins," says a fourth.

Perry hopes the discovery of the book is a wakeup call for those who wrote the comments and others on campus.

"I hope other fraternities are disgusted," she said. "I hope that if they do have this sort of thing going on in theirs, that they'll realize, whether they want to or not, that they should change, that they shouldn't promote this kind of behavior.

"There's no excuse," Perry continued. "These aren't children. They're my age. They're saying this. They know what they're doing."

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