By Mike Rougeau

Although Alcohol Week had its name changed from Alcohol Awareness Week by the Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern to give it a more light-hearted tone, visiting speaker Erle Morring had a serious message about the potential dangers of alcohol use and college Greek life.

Morring, a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., gave a presentation to a packed Curry Student Center Ballroom titled “Hazed and Confused.” The purpose was to share stories of two students who died while pledging Morring’s fraternity, Sigma Nu, and to warn against the dangers of hazing.

“We wanted to to bring him here during Alcohol Week … [because] we wanted to make a point: that we are not for hazing,” said Nina Sidman, a senior marketing management major and member of Sigma Alpha Mu, the sorority that sponsored the event.

Morring began his presentation by asking the audience a few questions, urging students to raise their hands if they had ever been drunk. He then asked students to raise their hands if they had never been drunk. Only three students raised their hands.

After asking how many students in the room were active in fraternities and sororities and have little brothers or sisters in their organizations, he asked, “How many of you have been to your little sister’s or brother’s funeral?”

The laughter and chatter that had previously filled the room dissipated.

During Morring’s hour-long presentation he said that he and his pledge brothers “went through hell” to become active members of Sigma Nu while at Auburn, and that he used to believe it was “absolutely worth it.”

After two pledges died, however, including Morring’s fraternity little brother Blair Benson, Morring said he realized the culture of hazing and abuse was “deadly wrong.”

Morring said Benson died when a series of fights between members of Sigma Nu and a pair of Benson’s former friends escalated and eventually led to an altercation at a bar in Birmingham, Ala. As five Sigma Nu pledges drunkenly ran to their car to escape two men with crowbars, Benson fell to the ground. His pledge brothers, believing he was in the car, accidentally ran him over when they backed out of their parking spot.

About three months later, one of his pledge brothers, Wesley Potter, committed suicide.

Morring told The News in an interview that he wants students to learn from his experiences.

“Our primary objective is for them to hear our story and be able to change their culture, change their environment and the way they’re living their lives,” he said.

Katie Laiter, a sophomore psychology major and pledge to Sigma Delta Tau, said that although she thought the presentation was great, she doesn’t think it applies to Northeastern.

“I’m pledging with Sigma Delta Tau, and I haven’t experienced any hazing,” she said.

Morring urged students to stand up and be the dissenting voice when something isn’t right in their fraternities or sororities. He called for student leaders to “step up to the plate” and manage the college Greek life environment in a responsible way.

Students who are interested in learning more about Morring’s story and his presentation can visit www.campusspeak.com/speakers/morring.