East Carolinian

Issue date: 2/10/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Staff photo

The brothers of Theta Chi fraternity are looking for closure after a robbery that took place at their house on 11th Street this past November.

According to Theta Chi President, Chase Tobin, on Sunday Nov. 23, 2008 at approximately 4:45 a.m., the weekend before Thanksgiving break, a brother of Theta Chi was awoken to a stranger inside the fraternity house wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.

The brother saw the suspect take a composite photo off the wall and run out the back door upon being spotted.

Tobin was awoken by the brother and he and another fraternity member searched the house and backyard with no avail.

Ten to 15 minutes after the break-in, Tobin noticed a dark Ford Explorer parked outside the house and two white males in the front yard. After yelling down to them from the house, the two suspects quickly fled the scene.

After careful inventory of the house, the bothers were able to determine what exactly had been taken; composite photos of past Theta Chi brothers, pledge bricks and a memorial plaque of a deceased alumnus, all of which are valuable and irreplaceable artifacts to the fraternity.

"I don't know how the individual(s) that stole the plaque of a deceased member of Theta Chi can live with themselves," said IFC President, Patrick Sebastian.

Greenville Police were notified of the incident and a report was filed, but until recently they have had little involvement with the case.

"When laws are broken police need to handle the situation rather than the university," said Keith Tingley, the assistant director of the Office of Greek Life, in regards to the theft.

Since little progress has been made in the case, Theta Chi alumni have decided to take matters into their own hands.

The alumni are offering a $500 reward "for information leading to the recovery of the property and or identifying the guilty individual," said Chandler Nelms, Theta Chi alumni president.

The issue that this theft raises is just how safe is Greek housing?

According to Tingley, this isn't the first break-in at a sorority or fraternity house this year.

"Theta Chi has an alarm system but unfortunately the system wasn't turned on the night of the break in," Tingley said.

According to Tobin, since the break-in, the brothers of Theta Chi have been much more cautious in regards to the safety of their fraternity house and are careful to keep all doors locked with deadbolts.

In regards to the return of the stolen artifacts, "sources will be kept in anonymity and reward will be paid once information can be validated and items returned," Nelms said.

At the end of the day, the brothers of Theta Chi would just like to see the fraternity's artifacts returned.

"We really just want our stuff back," Tobin said.

Any students with information regarding the theft are asked to contact Theta Chi alumni president Chris Frederick at frederickc@saic.com or (703) 867-0295.



This writer may be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.

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