Wow, those folks over at The Collegian are a scary bunch aren't they? I mean first we get Vicky Triponey basically saying yesterday that The Collegian  was out to get her (btw Devon Lash ripped the Portland State University newspaper a new **** today), and now we hear that Interfraternity Council President Abe Gitterman called the police on a Collegian reporter at the HUB last week and threatened to call police again last night when he saw Collegian reporters and photographers at the IFC Presidents' Council meeting. Paranoid much Abe?

In today's Collegian, Roy Baker, the director of greek life and advancement, said IFC is in "damage control." So, if you're in damage control, and you feel the media is out to get you (my words, not IFC's) what do you do? Right, just tell all your members to shut the **** up! First amendment be damned!

In a set of e-mails sent out my Gitterman, he tells IFC members -  "Do NOT under any circumstances talk to the Daily Collegian about anything." A second e-mail states - "If anyone is found violating this article by talking to the collegian, without the explicit consent of the Executive Board, and all of the President's at President's Council you will be held accountable by the Vice President for Standards."

Here's another snippet I thought was interesting in one of the e-mails:
"The Collegian is an independent group, not a recognized student organization by the University. They have no checks on them, they are all students with no experience that qualifies them to write stories about any of our live, chapters or brothers. Please forward this message to your list serv, as all of your individual brothers are held to this standard as well, and if we see any quotes in the Collegian, you will be getting a call." 

Well from the looks of things, at least someone is forwarding these e-mails to someone in the Collegian. Comeon guys, where's the Circle of Trust.

So that sounds like a high level of paranoia to me. But, I guess if you're working for any organization in this country and a reporter comes up and asks you a question, you're supposed to send them to your supervisor or PR person, so what makes this any different? Oh right, freedom of speech.

Well, "Bob Richards, communications professor and co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment at Penn State, said IFC's connection with Penn State, a university that receives government funding, could be enough to present Gitterman's 'spectacularly bad idea' as a violation of freedom of speech." Ooopsie.

So, if you're in a frat and you have the burning desire to get some secret out to the public, just remember, The Collegian is off limits. So that means e-mail me! You're already all over that other site.