Amelia Leaphart
Editor-in-Chief
Questions about Sewanee’s Greek Life Director’s past reached the Mountain in August, as reports circulated that he had been accused of faking social media accounts and enticing fraternities at Louisiana State University to violate that institution’s alcohol policies and state drinking laws.
Sewanee’s Greek Life Director, Donald Abels, denied wrongdoing, insisting in interviews with The Purple that a lengthy LSU police report and its allegations about his tenure at LSU are “false.” He declined to detail what happened during his time as assistant director of Greek life at LSU, saying he has a lawyer for a defamation lawsuit against parties he would not name. He said that he left LSU in good standing to join Sewanee’s staff for career advancement.
LSU Detective John Meliet, who led LSU’s police investigation, told The Purple, “Everything I wrote in my report is accurate.” Citing LSU policy, the detective declined further comment.
Meliet’s 12-page investigative report ended with a description of August 2019 interviews in which Meliet and another LSU detective “confronted Abels with details of how they had subpoenaed email account records to identify they were created by an iPhone with the name ‘Donald’s-iPhone,’ which was associated with Donald Abels.” Despite that evidence, the police report stated Abels “continued to deny any involvement in the IFC scam. Abels was unable to provide any reasonable explanation as to how his phone was utilized.”
“No further action is being taken at this time as Detectives have concluded that the Assistant Director of Greek Life (Donald Abels) initiated a scheme (catfishing) to entrap fraternities in inappropriate behavior with recruits. …We have concluded that no criminal laws were broken and have referred this matter for internal investigation.”
Sewanee’s questions
Copies of LSU’s police report began circulating in the Sewanee community in late August after Student Life officials ruled that the University’s oldest sorority, Theta Kappa Phi, should be suspended for serious hazing violations. The LSU police report raised concerns among some Sewanee students, alumni, and Greek advisors that the University’s administrators had hired Abels and others to eliminate Greek life on the Mountain. Some students, alumni, and parents of TKP members questioned whether the University had properly vetted Abels before bringing him to the Mountain.
Abels left LSU in August 2021, and his hiring at Sewanee was announced a month later. Abels told The Purple that he did not inform Sewanee administrators about the LSU “catfishing” investigation during his hiring process. “There was nothing to share,” Abels said. “I can’t speak to what the reference checks said, though, cause I’m not privy to that.”
On Aug. 30, after an alumni supporter of TKP launched a change.org petition criticizing the sorority’s treatment and questioning Abels’ hiring, Sewanee’s Dean of Students Erica Howard and Vice Provost of Student Success Lisa Stephenson released a joint statement to Sewanee’s student body defending Abels. “A thorough review of the allegations raised in the communications to the University has been conducted and found the allegations to be unfounded,” Stephenson and Howard stated. “The former institution confirmed that Mr. Abels left in good standing.”
Contacted by The Purple, Stephenson said that she was unclear on Sewanee’s policy on speaking to news media about another employee and needed to reach out to Human Resources. In a follow-up exchange, Stephenson said that she could only refer to the statement that she and Howard released and declined further comment. Asked to discuss his conversations with Stephenson, Abels said, “I’m not comfortable doing that.”
The Purple’s calls to LSU administrators were not returned. On Saturday, after a week of negotiations for an interview, Abels provided The Purple with an email he had forwarded to Dean Howard that included comments from LSU’s Executive Director of Human Resources. In that August 26 email,which Abels partially redacted before offering it to The Purple, the LSU official wrote to Abels: “I just talked to her and let her know we did not find any findings against you or the fictitious mother and student.” Abels said the Sewanee employee referred to in the email is HR official Jessica Welch.
That sentence in the email was followed by a line and a half of blacked-out words. Abels said he redacted that part of the LSU email before sending it to The Purple because it referenced the police report and names he did not want made public. The LSU HR official’s email to Abels continued, “And you left in good standing and are eligible to return here if you wanted to…She seemed to be satisfied with that and happy to hear we had thoroughly investigated it and found you not responsible.”
The LSU official could not be reached for comment on Saturday. Abels said he contacted LSU and asked for the HR email after a conversation with Sewanee’s HR department on August 26. “They needed to confirm some stuff,” he told The Purple. He then forwarded the LSU HR official’s email to Howard, Sewanee’s dean of students, “just to make her aware after Sewanee talked to LSU.”
When asked if he would sign a release to allow The Purple to access his LSU personnel file and any internal investigative reports, Abels said, “I can’t answer that right now.”
LSU’s investigation
The LSU police report and a related series of emails and social media exchanges lay out how allegations of catfishing came to light at the Baton Rouge campus. In July 2019, the documents indicate, a student claiming to be “Crew Brooks” was enrolled in LSU’s Interfraternity Council computer database as a rushee or potential new member (PNM).
In several social media accounts, the LSU police records and associated emails indicate, “Crew Brooks” contacted members of different organizations pretending to be interested in rushing with them. In a Snapchat message to a Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) member about an upcoming event at a New Orleans bar, “Crew Brooks” asked if he would need a fake ID for alcohol. The fraternity member responded that they would provide alcohol at the event.
Screenshots of that Snapchat conversation were sent to Abels from “Jenny Brooks,” who claimed to be the concerned mother of “Crew Brooks.” The “Jenny Brooks” email demanded that LSU’s Greek Life officials explain why their son is “being asked to rush over the summer with alcohol.” Abels forwarded that “Jenny Brooks” email to a colleague, adding the comment: “Let the fun begin.”
Several LSU fraternity leaders and leaders of the University’s Interfraternity Council became suspicious of “Crew Brooks” and went to LSU police in mid-August 2019, the LSU police report indicated. The fraternity representatives advised detectives that they did not register “Brooks” in the IFC rush system and had determined that the student ID provided in LSU’s University-managed Greek recruitment computer system was also fake.
Suspecting that someone had hacked LSU’s Greek recruitment database, the fraternity members and advisors told police that it appeared someone was using the system to obtain phone numbers and names of fraternity leaders in an attempt to get them to send messages about providing fake IDs and alcohol to an under-aged student.
A fraternity advisor at LSU told The Purple that five Greek organizations began comparing notes after all were accused of the same alcohol violations at the same bar in New Orleans. Two names later determined to be fake kept coming up in the allegations, and one fraternity faced a conduct hearing that included the complaints involving “Crew Brooks,” his mother and the second fake student name, “Crew Parks.”
After LSU fraternity representatives began trying to figure out what had happened and discovered the second fake name, the police report stated, and all of the social media accounts using the “Crew Brooks,” ‘Jenny Brooks” and “Crew Parks” names were deleted.
The LSU fraternity advisor said charges related to “Brooks” were subsequently dropped.
The LSU detectives confirmed that the “Brooks” information was added to the LSU IFC database by someone with internal access at the university. “It appears that the person pretending to be “Crew Brooks” had modified the intellectual property of IFC and ICS to obtain information pertaining to fraternities on campus and possibly entrap them in criminal or policy violations,” their police report stated. The detectives obtained screen shots of the messages and subpoenaed information about the “Jenny Brooks” account.
The Purple traced the photos used in “Crew Brooks” social media accounts, confirming that they were high school photos posted on Facebook by a current student at the University of Mississippi. Abels was director of Greek life at Ole Miss for two years before moving to LSU as assistant director of Greek life there. The University of Mississippi student, who asked not to be identified, said they have no affiliation with LSU. That student added that they had no knowledge of the “Brooks” social media accounts and were surprised and concerned that their photos had been hacked and used.
The LSU police report indicated detectives interviewed Abels twice in August 2019. In his first interview, Abels told detectives that all administrators had access to the fraternity system. He also denied moving “Crew Brooks” from student to prospective-fraternity-member or PNM status. He acknowledged that he and one LSU student were the only people in his office who gave students prospective status in the computer system, and he suggested that “Crew Brooks” had been given that status by mistake.
When the detectives confronted Abels about creating a fake “Crew Brooks” student persona, the police report stated, Abels said he wasn’t involved. Though he denied having any email contact with “Jenny Brooks,” the police report noted, detectives obtained an email thread between “Jenny Brooks” and Abels. When asked about that, the police report indicated, Abels told detectives that the “Jenny Brooks” email had come to IFC in general, and he used the “Jenny Brooks” information to instruct a fraternity chapter president not to have events involving rushees and alcohol.
The detectives asked Abels how “Jenny Brooks” would have known how to make a complaint to LSU’s IFC. Abels responded that when people participating in rush sign up on LSU’s IFC website, their parents get an email with that information. Confronted that “Jenny Brooks’ “ email was not attached to “Crew Brooks’ ” PNM profile, the police report stated, Abels told detectives that a parent could have found instructions for filing complaints against fraternities on LSU’s IFC website.
The LSU detectives added that they recorded their interview with Abels with a body camera. They wrote: ”Furthermore, Detectives would like to note that Abels was visibly nervous (shaking, heavy swallowing) during the interview and had trouble opening emails which were needed to assist in the investigation.”
The LSU police investigative report included detailed information from the alumni advisor to LSU’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, which was investigating “Jenny Brooks’ ” allegations. That advisor told the LSU detectives that he shut down all PIKE’s rush events after being notified about the “Jenny Brooks” emailed complaint. The PIKE advisor told the detectives that he began hearing from other fraternities that someone named “Crew Parks” or “Crew Brooks” was also contacting their members through SnapChat – which LSU students said was not a normal way for PNM’s to communicate with fraternity members. The PIKE advisor told police that he also learned that “Crew Brooks/Parks” had presented himself as a fraternity member to PNM’s who received early bids, information that only someone who had access to the ICS page would know.
After tracing the “Jenny Brooks” email to Abels’ iPhone, the detectives conducted a second interview with Abels. Their police report stated that Abels continued to deny any involvement with creating either of the fake email accounts.
After Abels left LSU, the advisor for another LSU fraternity, Dixon McMakin, filed a lawsuit against LSU in March 2022, seeking access to any records of any internal review that followed the police investigation. McMakin said a state district judge ultimately denied his request for the records, citing employee privacy rights.
McMakin said they began trying to find out what had happened in the catfishing case in June 2021, a couple months before Abels left LSU, and ultimately filed the lawsuit to try to determine how the allegations had been handled by the university. Both McMakin and the detective who led the LSU police investigation, John Meliet, said they did not know what happened after the police report went to LSU’s administration. Since Abels left Louisiana for Sewanee, McMakin said, there has been high turnover in LSU’s Division of Student Affairs office–which includes its Greek life staff.
“You should question the manner in which Donald was hired and the steps he has taken to not be an advocate for Greek life,” McMakin said. “I would also ask if there’s any point in the application process when they question if you were ever under investigation by your previous employer.”
At Sewanee
In emails and phone calls with The Purple, Abels denied involvement in the LSU catfishing incidents. He also cited the email he provided Saturday afternoon from LSU’s HR executive as evidence that he had been cleared of wrongdoing. Despite questions from some quarters at Sewanee about the LSU police report and other records being circulated in recent weeks, Abels said, he’s been encouraged by positive responses he has received on the Mountain.
“I have tremendous support from students and others throughout this, so that’s very affirming. At the end of the day, I think my record speaks for itself–um, that sounds bad, my reputation speaks for itself.”
Sarah Jane Kemmer (C’23) and chair of Sewanee’s Honor Council declined to comment on the matter, citing the investigation as a “student-life issue.”
Michael Payne (C ’76), former president and current member of the Greek Alumni Council, said “If the facts are correct, he should not have been hired. Such a nature warrants a dismissal, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
It is my personal opinion that this police report puts into question every allegation against a Greek organization since Abels has been placed in Greek Life, especially the anonymous ones. The records should be preserved.
We will be on campus this afternoon.
LSU has a long history of dangerous hazing practices across their campus, including the pledge who died in 2017. Finding and eliminating hazers in organizations is not something that should be controversial.
Okay Donald 😂 making anonymous accounts again just like you did at lsu
He wasn’t finding “hazers” though, he was using a fake account to try and entrap fraternities thats only crime was having events at a rented out bar. That isn’t allowed by law so why should it be allowed in the university setting?
Making a fake internet account is actually against the law in Louisiana.
This article has been published under the News Section while having an obvious angle. That means that it should be placed under opinion. Literally, it’s the title of the article: DIRECTOR OF GREEK LIFE’S PAST AT LSU *RAISES QUESTIONS* ABOUT SEWANEE’S HIRING PROCESS. In the second sentence, there is a purposeful contextualization of a detail to make Donald Abel’s look bad to the reader. While the quote is probably factual, the use of “false” in quotation marks means two things: First, he said it. Second, according to grammar, using quotation marks for emphasis conveys “a focused, impactful twist of meaning, such as a sense of skepticism, sarcasm, or subtle humor.” This immediate usage of subtle skepticism shows that this News category has been breached. In the very second sentence, it should be read as an Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) by the Editor-in-Chief.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists, a society that has created a Code of Ethics for journalism, opinion reporting should be separated from news reporting. Opinion journalism argues a side, misrepresents facts, uses sarcasm, generalizes, and contextualizes details in such a way that the reporter leads the reader to an opinion. It does not let the reader come to their own opinion of the truth. The goal of news reporting is to give the reader information about their role in society. Opinion reporting takes this information and leads the reader to the reporter’s conclusion, much like how a rider leads their horse to a water trough to drink. Through this miscategorization, the Purple has led students, faculty, staff and alumni to thinking that this story is fact.
Is there anything you can point to in this article that isn’t true? Just because you don’t like the facts of the case doesn’t mean they aren’t accurate. If the one flaw you can point to are the use of quotation marks (you know, to designate a quote), then I don’t know that your argument has merit
Through this article, the Editor-in-Chief is adding to editorialized news, which uses facts to support a claim. Because of that, this story should not fall under News but Opinion. The hypotactic language used by the Editor-in-Chief is the biggest clue towards this. She uses hypotactic sentence structure instead of paratactic. Hypotactic language creates a “cause and effect” relationship. Parataxis is used to create a picture of events — *cough, cough* news — while hypotaxis forces the reader to analyze the relationships between clauses — an argument. Whenever the Editor-in-Chief uses subordinate clauses such as “Since Ables” and “Despite that evidence,” it leads the reader to think: “Oh, that evidence must be strong.” That small phrase is an opinion from the editor-in-chief. Because these bits of commentary are throughout the article, the conclusion the reader should make comes at the very end by the quote by Michael Payne: “he should not have been hired. Such a nature warrants a dismissal.” It is the last line of the article, what the article wants the reader to take away from the piece. That is the article’s opinion. Because of that, it is a News Analysis. An Op-Ed. According to Harvard, the final line of an Op-Ed “Contains a final epiphany or calls the reader to action.” It leaves the reader with a call: fire Donald. It is disgusting that the Editor-in-Chief hid an Op-Ed in News, especially concerning a topic this heavy. This is my opinion. Because of that, I will do something that the article won’t. I hope the Purple will own up to this grievous mistake.
hilarious load by @Concerned Reader. Please show the class the news and journalism guidelines that say news writing should primarily make use of parataxis. Also *cough, cough* dependent clauses are subordinate clauses. Seems like maybe Concerned Reader just doesn’t like the obvious conclusion.
Luckily Michael Payne utilized hypotactic language as he qualified “he should not have been hired” with “if the facts are correct.” Perhaps Concerned Reader has special insight into the matter and has accidentally given up the goat?
Yeah, @Concerned Reader, what you’re describing are such common writing practices in news pieces that I struggle to imagine you’ve read another one. Using transitions to switch from talking about one subject to another (i.e.: “since” or “despite”) is how writers create a story that flows as opposed to a bulleted list of dry facts. The story ended on a quote from the leader of alumni council because it started with Donald Abels’ perspective: if the Admin-friendly perspective had come last, there would be little context for the other quotes from student and alumni leaders. The things you pointed out aren’t evidence of bias, they’re evidence of the student knowing how to write. But then I don’t believe that there is any iteration of this article you’d have supported because the truth of this case is extremely unflattering for Admin at large and for Donald Abels in specific. (That, by the way, is an actual example of an opinion).
Is this Donald Abels?
Did this article ruffle your feathers, Donald?
I’m surprised Concerned Reader didn’t lead off with…”We would have gotten away with this but for you MEDDLING KIDS!”
I’m at a loss as to why Sewanee would hire a “Director of Greek Life” to destroy Greek life. His backstory, and the circumstances by which he left LSU, are lessons in modern double speak. He left in good standing and they would have him back, though they stopped investigating multiple ethical transgressions that if he were declared guilty of, and all evidence seems to suggest that he was, all that appears to be missing is an actual declaration of guilt, he would be unemployable. At a University where students are bound by the honor code, it would appear that administrators should be held to the same standard. We shouldn’t have to do investigations of his career at LSU, but we also shouldn’t spin it’s wheels defending an employee whose presence is disruptive, whose actual behavior conflicts with his job description, and whose values seems to be at odds with the values of the University for the last 160 years. Seems pretty obvious what needs to be done.
The entire administration needs to go!!!
LSU has a long history of dangerous hazing practices across their campus, including the pledge who died in 2017. Finding and eliminating hazers in organizations is not something that should be controversial. Making Greek Life SAFE for all students is A GOOD THING!!!
Seems like an unwarranted attack on Mr. Abels by the Panhellenic industrial complex. In my time at Mississippi he was never anything but fair and transparent.
Looks like a comment left by Mr. Abels himself
If the fake woman’s email is tied to his phone, he did it. There is no other explanation for that connection. He sounds like a dishonorable person who has no business being employed on the Mountain.
There is a correlation between students blaming the Greek Life Director across both Sewanee and LSU.
There are some alumni and students unwilling to admit their wrongdoing involving hazing but scream if another human seems to do the same. Hypocritical.
Not to explain kindergarten level morality to you but two wrongs don’t make a right. Also shouldn’t the hope be that the director of greek life should have more integrity than Greek life students who are actively hazing? Or does he get to be in a position of power because he did a better job lying about it?
entitled parents and students attacking the director of greek life is what is hypocritical. i agree, two wrongs don’t make a right. but, catfishing does not equal mentally/physically tormenting another human being. interesting that you thought they were the same bro.
I question Abel’s judgement and the judgment of those who hired him. Does the honor code not apply to the Admin of Sewanee too? How are the students supposed to trust this Admin?
Hey guys, please don’t call my brother a liar, he experienced a lot of abuse and was only saved by the great involvement of our amazing Head of Greek Life, who has asked to remain anonymous. It hurts to see students take things, like a police report, out of context, and the abuse my poor mother, Ms. Jenny Brooks, has received is nothing short of embarrassing, especially considering the fact that she is a saint of a woman who volunteers every Sunday to help the poor. Do better Sewanee.
this article is unfounded
Any person hired to lead a department at the university level should be competent enough to realize that using one’s own mobile device and/or the university’s IP address and internal server for nefarious purposes is unwise. This bewildering display of arrogance should render Donald Abels ineligible to lead much of anything, let alone a large Greek community at an established university. Having browsed Abels’ internet profile and assorted narcissistic ramblings on Blogspot, my question is what the stated goal of this hire by the university might be. I would welcome an unrehearsed statement from Abels describing his philosophy and mission statement.
Donald puts student safety first. Isn’t that important considering all of the hazing deaths all over the country? If you’re mad about this, you probably peaked in college and need to grow up.
Re: Abels’ slip at the end “I think my record speaks for itself- uh, that sounds bad- I think my reputation speaks for itself.”
Indeed Donald Abels had a track record at LSU for either kicking out Greek organizations (six total) or suspending/putting on probation/warning (six others). His record did indeed speak for itself and yet he was hired as the Head of Greek Life at Sewanee in 2019. https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_99c3424a-c567-11e7-8f2d-e3b014d1a26e.amp.html
Yeah, no dim-wit. If we’re quoting articles by the Advocate, “Louisiana State University’s fraternities have faced accusations for decades that they are hotbeds of hazing, binge drinking and misconduct.” Him working at LSU was not the start of them kicking off frats. In the article, it lists the long reasons why they have since 1997. (Including but not limited to: death, animal abuse, killing a goat, and not following NATIONAL guidelines, hazing, etc.) This sounds like a them problem homie.
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_bd5c8456-7c03-11e9-89b6-4fa9a00793e8.html
You are an embarrassment.
Mary. You can put safety first while also. Operating with integrity. For the Donald to be successful, the students need to trust and respect him. He lacks integrity as do the people who hired him.
I once partied with Crews Brooks back in the day, that dude can put them back with the best of us! Big drug guy too! It is very unbecoming of Mr. Abels to use his gloried name to try and stop hazing!
Are we going to sit here and not address the elephant in the room, which is the clear link between DONALD Abels and DONALD Trump; both “leaders” striving to destroy the very institution they were asked to lead?
Wow typical TDS postings from Trimblestein. When will you libz realize being a libz is a MENTAL ILLNESS! This is just the beginning, I will put a Pizza Gate on all yall! MAGA!
I am going to find you at Farty and/or Sparty and i’m ganna kick your ass.
Donald Abels is nothing but an honest, honorable, and all around cool guy to hang out with. The notion that Abels’ conduct is some sort of power trip stemming from a festering sense of ineptitude developed as a young adult is ludicrous. The lengths he was willing to go to stop my son, Crew, from drinking even a single beer in 2019 were nothing short of superhuman. My son may be an idiot, but I’m not. Sewanee would be wise to keep a man of Donald’s character around.
*Sent from Donald’s iPhone*
Good work, Purple.
— Will Cate, C’82
Hey, Purple! Let’s talk about how you didn’t include any part of my interview with you where I talked about how some LSU fraternity advisors (check the article if you want a name) have dedicated their lives to vilify Donald! Awesome to see authors who only includes sources that fit their story’s agenda to gets reads. Awesome work!
The article has a full angle :/ Should’ve showed all sides of the story
People are really going to argue about whether this story has an angle and whether it is an opinion piece or news? I suspect most everyone reading this article is capable of discerning both of those things without any help from others. What concerns me is: (1) Sewanee hired someone TO BE IN CHARGE OF GREEK LIFE who the police allege engaged in a potentially illegal catfishing scandal designed to entrap fraternities while employed in a similar role at LSU; (2) that person (Mr. Abels) has been unwilling to simply provide documentation to clear this up if he can (which seems rather unlikely). Why not just release his personnel file, whatever information he can get from the police, his cell phone/email records and/or a report to his cell phone or internet provider timely reporting that the accounts were hacked (if that is his defense). As they say, if it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. The police investigation, though not conclusive, is certainly not a good look. And, no, the fact that he left LSU in good standing and remains eligible at LSU does not in and of itself clear up things. Many people leave employment on the cusp of being asked to leave and often employers provide less than frank employment references, especially where, as here, a former employee has already threatened defamation litigation against third parties; and (3) at least some of the comments appear to endorse an ends justify the means approach, i.e. so what if he lied and engaged in allegedly illegal conduct and/or conduct that would substantially undermine his integrity as long as he ends underage drinking (or, quite possibly, Greek life): (4) an apparent unwillingness to hold “Crew” accountable for his conduct – – – according to the texts, Crew brought up the fake ID, not the fraternity; and (5) more of the same mommy culture that has not served millennials well. If you do not like Greek life, do not join a sorority or a fraternity. However, that is your AGENDA. Make decisions for yourself (or, if you must, your own son or daughter), but please do not assume that you need to make decisions for the other students. My daughter and I are both proud alumni. My son is seriously considering Sewanee. Greek life was a wonderful addition to our time at Sewanee. Greek life is not perfect, and there are legitimate concerns about hazing, drug use and underage drinking, but throwing out the baby with the bathwater is never a good idea. Sewanee is evolving and in so many ways that is exciting. However, what could the leadership of Sewanee possibly be thinking? Why would you ever hire or retain someone as the Director of Greek Life who allegedly engaged in this kind of behavior? It would seem that the University owes it to the entire University community to investigate the specifics of the LSU allegations and to confirm that the person charged with Greek life is someone who sees value in Greek life, not someone who may have tried to play a game of “gotcha” with college kids. Certainly, the University and Mr. Abels understand that he will have legitimacy issues with a substantial part of the Sewanee community while this remain unresolved? How can he possibly do his job with the buy-in necessary to do it well under this cloud? Does the University really need any more self-inflicted wounds right now?
Well said, Concerned Alum.
It’s important to remember that these attacks stem from a chapter being held accountable. Sad that people will go after someone like this to try and distract from their bad decisions. Especially when that person was found to have done nothing wrong.
Experts agree this has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation
Just a note to the good folks at your school. Mr Abels did not just do something unethical. He broke Louisiana law. They just decided to not tell the police or the public and hid it to make it the next school’s problem,. So you have a person who breaks the law employed in the supervision of college students.
LA Rev Stat § 14:73.10
§73.10. Online impersonation
A.(1) It shall be unlawful for any person, with the intent to harm, intimidate, threaten, or defraud, to intentionally impersonate another actual person, without the consent of that person, in order to engage in any of the following:
(a) Open an electronic mail account, any other type of account, or a profile on a social networking website or other Internet website.
(b) Post or send one or more messages on or through a social networking website or other Internet website.
(2) It shall be unlawful for any person, with the intent to harm, intimidate, threaten, or defraud, to send an electronic mail, instant message, text message, or other form of electronic communication that references a name, domain address, phone number, or other item of identifying information belonging to another actual person without the consent of that person and with the intent to cause the recipient of the communication to believe that the other person authorized or transmitted the communication.
It really is troubling that a group of grown people are so determined to see someone’s name ruined just to turn attention away from their beloved fraternitys actions.
It really is troubling that an individual is so determined to see an organization’s name ruined that they would improperly access a school computer system and break state law’s.