No to jail and bail opt out list
Chuck Grimmett
Issue date: 9/17/09 Section: Opinion
There will be no list for Hillsdale College students to opt-out of the Sigma Chi's "Jail and bail" this year, according to James Bild, the fraternity's "Derby Daddy."
This comes as a change from last year's Jail and Bail, when then-senior Gennady Stolyarov II coordinated with Sigma Chi to create a opt-out list for students who did not wish to participate.
I personally contacted the officers of Sigma Chi and offered to sponsor an opt-out list this year. James Bild replied, "I don't think that you will need to continue this new fad of having an opt-out list for Jail and Bail."
The event takes place as part of the Sigma Chi's Derby Days, where persons make a contribution to the fraternity's designated charity in exchange for indicating one or more individuals whom he or she wishes to be "jailed." Members of Sigma Chi later approach the "sentenced" individuals and request a "ransom" - an immediate monetary payment. If the "sentenced" person does not give the indicated "ransom," he or she is taken to "jail" to wait for someone else to pay the "ransom" for him or her. Once the specified "ransom" is paid, the "jailed" individual is released.
"While there has been past disagreement surrounding the nature and conduct of the event between the fraternity and a few disgruntled individuals, this is not an attitude that needs to be promulgated into the future," said Bild, responding to my attempts to continue the opt-out list.
The list was created due to the controversy surrounding the 2007 Jail and Bail, which according to Collegian reporter Mark Hensch, "was rife with complaint, boycott, and campus-wide debate over the nature of charity and the validity of forced imprisonment," after the injury of one freshman girl.
Last year's list contained the names of over 130 Greek and independent students who submitted their names to avoid unwilling participation in the event.
"I think that the opt-out list was a very courteous thing for them to do," said sophomore Laura Wegmann. "If it's all fun and games like they say, why can't they let people choose not to play?"
This comes as a change from last year's Jail and Bail, when then-senior Gennady Stolyarov II coordinated with Sigma Chi to create a opt-out list for students who did not wish to participate.
I personally contacted the officers of Sigma Chi and offered to sponsor an opt-out list this year. James Bild replied, "I don't think that you will need to continue this new fad of having an opt-out list for Jail and Bail."
The event takes place as part of the Sigma Chi's Derby Days, where persons make a contribution to the fraternity's designated charity in exchange for indicating one or more individuals whom he or she wishes to be "jailed." Members of Sigma Chi later approach the "sentenced" individuals and request a "ransom" - an immediate monetary payment. If the "sentenced" person does not give the indicated "ransom," he or she is taken to "jail" to wait for someone else to pay the "ransom" for him or her. Once the specified "ransom" is paid, the "jailed" individual is released.
"While there has been past disagreement surrounding the nature and conduct of the event between the fraternity and a few disgruntled individuals, this is not an attitude that needs to be promulgated into the future," said Bild, responding to my attempts to continue the opt-out list.
The list was created due to the controversy surrounding the 2007 Jail and Bail, which according to Collegian reporter Mark Hensch, "was rife with complaint, boycott, and campus-wide debate over the nature of charity and the validity of forced imprisonment," after the injury of one freshman girl.
Last year's list contained the names of over 130 Greek and independent students who submitted their names to avoid unwilling participation in the event.
"I think that the opt-out list was a very courteous thing for them to do," said sophomore Laura Wegmann. "If it's all fun and games like they say, why can't they let people choose not to play?"
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Angus
posted 9/18/09 @ 10:38 AM EST
Accountability is a tough thing to live with.
Graeme
posted 9/19/09 @ 4:53 PM EST
So what level of force will be used if someone who has been nominated does not want to participate?
What legal power to they have to arrest and detain someone, and if they can not raise any money, how long do you keep them in prison. (Continued…)
Ralph
posted 10/11/09 @ 4:11 PM EST
You are not allowed to opt-out? What is stopping Sigma Chi from paying a dollar to 'arrest' every person they can to get money out of them? What if someone doesn't consent to being dragged off? In a previous year, someone resisted - to the point of injury - and still was forced to go to the 'jail'. (Continued…)
Chuck
posted 10/23/09 @ 9:17 PM EST
Forced charity isn't charity. Would it be acceptable for someone to steal the Sig Chi's TV and sell it to a pawn shop and give the money to charity? All in good fun of course. (Continued…)
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