The End of the SAE House

Collected by Paul A. Papaccioli (paul.a.papaccioli@vanderbilt.edu)

Summary: The tale tells the story the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at Vanderbilt University. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was
kicked off campus and this is the story behind what happened.

Text: The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was a house that was more powerful than any
other entity on campus. The administration hated them and most other students not
associated with them resented them. They were a very selective group. Only the
creme della creme were admitted to the organization. You needed to be from a wasp
background with substantial amounts of money in your family. They even did background
checks to weed out the nobodies from their future brothers. The SAE’s had a wild party
one night. This was nothing new to them.  It was a common occurrence at the palace in
which they resided. The party was out of control and problems began to occur. Several
members of the house covered the lions out front with a flammable jelly like substance.
They were then ignited to form a dangerous spectacle out front of the party. Unfortunately,
a girl got too close to the fire and got burnt.  Ambulances then arrived and the girl was
taken to Vanderbilt Hospital. The Fire Department had to come to put out the fire. The
girl turned out to be okay with only minor burns to show for her troubles. Her family sued
not only the fraternity but the University as well for negligence and for endangering the lives
of the people at the party.  In the end, the SAE fraternity was kicked off campus for a
period of four years. They were not allow to meet together, have parties, and especially
not allowed to take a pledge class. Since then, they have broken all the rules, which
explains why they are still not back on campus.  The SAE fraternity someday may be
allowed back on campus to the chagrin of the administration. Their house will be knocked
down by that time, so if they return they will have to start from scratch. Most likely, within
a short time of their arrival, they will have back the power and authority they once had.

Notes:  I am not positive how accurate the story is. I believe that some aspects of the
tale are true, while others have been made up.  These tales change over time, and I
am sure when I tell the tale to someone else, I will change it a little and fudge with the
details. It is all apart of the passing of a school legend.


CONTEXT
A. The tale tells the story the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity
house at Vanderbilt University. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was
kicked off campus and this is the story behind what happened.
B. Tale type: (2400)unclassified tale motifs: absurd
disregard or ignorance of person’s safety
C. There is no telling if this tale is true, this is just the
version my informant gave to me.
D. September 1, 1995 (his freshman year)
E. Relationship of your informant with the individual from whom
the informant heard the tale: Upper-class Friend
F. He was at a fraternity for a rush event. The conversation
switched to the infamous fraternity. This was the story that he was
told.
G. Information on the informant:

Age: 21 years old
Sex: Male
Place of birth: Summitt, New Jersey
Ethnic group: White Caucasian
Languages spoken: English
Religion: Christian
Year in school (or education level if not a student): Senior
Extracurricular jobs? Emergency Medical Technician
Date Collected: 9/12/98