BEYOND THE HEDGES: Football players attack members of fraternity

After a crowd of football players smashed windows and doors at a fraternity house at the University of Rhode Island last month, university officials canceled an upcoming football game with the University of Connecticut, dismissed two players from the team and suspended four others from competition indefinitely.

However, the violent outbursts on campus continued. Ten days later, about 30 students fought with fists and beer bottles in a campus parking lot.

Campus police are not certain what caused the second fight, which broke out before a week of activities dedicated to violence intervention and awareness.

Police say the initial incident began when football players entered the Theta Delta Chi house. They were angry because two of their teammates had been thrown out of a recent party at the house.

The attack on the fraternity left broken windows and splintered doors. Three people were injured in the incident.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 1 .

This item appeared in the News section of the November 1, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.

The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu