Initially I wasn’t going to post this cartoon here on the site, sharing some of the feelings of my editors at the Journal Star, who chose not to run it. But after reading a letter to the editor in response to the recent story on Phi Kappa Tau’s reaction to having their fraternity suspended, I thought I’d go ahead and post it.

For sensitive eyes, the cartoon is posted after the jump. But it was rejected by the Journal Star out of concern for the victim’s family, among other reasons. So to be VERY clear – this cartoon did not run in the Journal Star, so if it offends you, don’t take it out on them. But I think it expresses sentiments worth sharing.

To set the stage for the tone of the cartoon (and that letter), here are a few quotes from members and representatives of Phi Kappa Tau, which was suspended from Nebraska Wesleyan’s campus for four years after various violations and a fire claimed the life of one of their “brothers.”

“We feel betrayed by our university and by our national council. … It’s tough when they’ve just been lying in the grass, waiting to pounce…

‘I’m embarrassed for the police chief. He’s handled himself pretty poorly…

“Our expectation is that in five years, this will be just a blip.”

These people are whining and moaning about their fraternity being banned from a campus for four years when someone is dead. They both claim that they don’t haze while citing examples of hazing they engage in. They’re concerned about the PR aspect of this, when again, someone is dead.

If something needs to stay alive, make sure it’s the system!
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