美國亞裔學生聯誼會接連上演暴力悲劇

Syracuse University students trying to join Nu Alpha Phi, an Asian-American fraternity, were given demerits when they made mistakes during pledging, and a way to work them off.

雪城大學(Syracuse University)試圖加入亞裔兄弟會紐-阿爾法-斐(Nu Alpha Phi)的學生在接受入會考驗期間出錯的話會被記過，這是一種清理成員的方式。

There were push-ups and situps in the attic of the fraternity house, according to investigators and students. There were extended periods in a sitting position — knees bent, backs to the wall — that tested their physical strength and resolve. And on one frigid night in March, there were exercises outdoors in a park, with three pledges crawling and rolling in the snow with no gloves. One of them got frostbite on both hands and faced losing several fingers.

據調查人員及學生透露，接受考驗的人會在兄弟會會堂的閣樓上做俯臥撐和仰臥起坐。還會長時間保持一種坐姿——雙膝彎曲、背朝牆——從而考驗他們的體力和決心。在今年3月的一個寒夜，則是在公園裏做戶外運動，三名預備會員在沒有戴手套的情況下在雪中爬行翻滾。其中一人雙手凍傷，面臨失去幾隻手指的危險。

The number of Asian-American fraternities and sororities has grown over the last generation as the children and grandchildren of immigrants, feeling shut out of existing Greek organizations, began to create their own.

過去二三十年，隨着移民的子孫感覺自己遭到現有大學聯誼會組織的排斥，他們開始創建自己的組織，美國的亞裔兄弟會和姐妹會的數量由此不斷增加。

And as those groups have spread across the country, some have replicated not only the social networking of other fraternities, but also their excesses.

隨着這些組織在全美各地蔓延，其中一些不僅複製其他聯誼會的社交活動，還會效仿它們的過激行爲。

Last month, prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced that they planned to charge members of an Asian-American fraternity, Pi Delta Psi, in connection with a hazing-related death of a freshman at Baruch College in New York City during a retreat in the Poconos in December 2013. At least three other students have died during activities at Asian-American fraternities since 2005, and many more have been injured, resulting in a spate of criminal prosecutions, lawsuits and school disciplinary actions against fraternities and their members.

上個月，賓夕法尼亞州檢方宣佈，他們計劃指控亞裔兄弟會派-德爾塔-普賽兄弟會(Pi Delta Psi)的多名成員涉嫌導致紐約巴魯克學院(Baruch College)的一名新生於2013年12月在波科諾山區參加營會期間遭欺辱而死亡。自2005年以來，至少還有其他三名學生在參與亞裔兄弟會活動期間喪生，多人受傷，導致衆多刑事和民事訴訟案件，以及學校對兄弟會及其成員的處分。

It is difficult to say whether abuses are more common in Asian-American organizations than in others. There are no official statistics on fraternity deaths and injuries across the United States. But people who have studied the issue say they have been surprised by the number of episodes, given that Asian-American fraternities occupy just a small corner of the collegiate Greek world.

很難說，與其他大學聯誼會相比，亞裔團體的虐待行爲是否更爲普遍。目前並不存在有關全美兄弟會死亡及受傷事件的官方統計數據。但研究該問題的人表示，鑑於亞裔兄弟會只佔大學聯誼會組織的一小部分，相關事件的數量之多令人意外。

“There shouldn't be this many deaths, this many cases, for this small number of organizations, chapters and members, ” said Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in New Orleans, who is leading a task force on hazing prevention for the North-American Interfraternity Conference.

“不應該有這麼多人死亡、這麼多案例，因爲這些聯誼會、分會和成員的數字很小，”新奧爾良迪拉德大學(Dillard University)校長瓦爾特·M·金布羅(Walter M. Kimbrough)說。金布羅是北美兄弟會聯盟(North-American Interfraternity Conference)預防欺辱工作組的負責人。

Across the country, there are more than 65 Asian-American fraternities and sororities, by some estimates, though most have small memberships and operate without permanent headquarters, professional staff or campus housing for students. Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, one of the largest with dozens of chapters, has experienced the most problems, including three deaths. Peter Tran, 18, a student at San Francisco State University, died after attending a fraternity party in 2013; the fraternity was subsequently expelled by university officials. Phanta Phoummarath, 18, a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, died after drinking at a fraternity party in 2005; his family received a $4.2 million settlement in a lawsuit against Lambda Phi Epsilon and its members.

根據一些估算，全美有逾65個亞裔兄弟會和姐妹會，但大多數組織會員較少，而且沒有固定的總部、專業工作人員或校園會堂。人中王國際兄弟會(Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity)是規模最大的亞裔兄弟會之一，擁有數十個分會。該組織遭遇了最多的問題，包括三起死亡事件。舊金山州立大學(San Francisco State University)18歲的學生彼得·陳(Peter Tran)在2013年參加完該兄弟會派對後死亡；該會隨後被學校官員取消活動資格。德州大學奧斯汀分校(University of Texas at Austin)18歲的新生潘塔·蓬馬拉特(Phanta Phoummarath)2005年在兄弟會派對飲酒後死亡；他的家人對人中王兄弟會及其成員提起訴訟，最終和解，獲得420萬美元的賠償。

In a third case, in 2005, Kenny Luong, 19, a student at Cal Poly Pomona in California, died from fatal head injuries after playing football against Lambda Phi Epsilon members from the University of California, Irvine. Luong and his schoolmates were trying to start a chapter at their own college, and as a requirement, they had to face off against the existing chapter at Irvine in a game without any helmets or pads, the authorities said. In a lawsuit against the fraternity that ended with a $1.7 million settlement, Luong's family said the game was simply hazing in disguise, with the Irvine players often gang-tackling members of Luong's outnumbered team, even when they did not have the ball.

第三個案例發生在2005年：波莫納加州州立理工大學(Cal Poly Pomona)19歲的學生肯尼·樑 (Kenny Luong)在與加州大學歐文分校(University of California, Irvine)人中王兄弟會成員踢橄欖球后頭部受重傷，最終死亡。當局稱，肯尼·樑和他的幾名同學試圖在他們所在的學校開設分會，作爲條件，他們需要與歐文分校已有的分會進行對抗，比賽過程中不戴頭盔或防護墊。人中王兄弟會遭到起訴，最終達成和解，賠償170萬美元。肯尼·樑的家人表示，他們打着比賽的幌子進行欺辱，歐文分校的球員具有人數優勢，不時羣起擒抱攻擊肯尼·樑所在隊伍的成員，甚至在他們沒有控球時也會如此。

In the Baruch case, Chun Hsien Deng, 19, died after a ritual known as the “glass ceiling,” in which he was tackled by fraternity members while blindfolded and weighed down with a sand-filled backpack as he tried to cross a frozen yard, prosecutors said. After he was knocked out, they said, fraternity members delayed getting help and sought to cover up their involvement. Five of the 37 defendants are facing third-degree murder charges; the rest face charges that include assault, hindering apprehension and hazing.

檢方表示，在巴魯克學院的案例中，19歲的鄧俊賢（Chun Hsien Deng，音） 在參加名爲“玻璃天花板”的儀式後死亡。他被矇住雙眼並且揹負一個裝滿沙子的揹包，嘗試穿越結冰的庭院。檢方稱，在他失去知覺後，兄弟會成員遲遲沒有尋求幫助，並且試圖掩蓋他們參與其中的事實。37名被告中有五人面臨三級謀殺罪指控；其他人則面臨攻擊、妨礙逮捕和欺辱的指控。

Amid growing concerns over hazing, members of Lambda Phi Epsilon and other Asian-American fraternities and sororities say their organizations have actively promoted no-hazing policies, increased training for members and replaced potentially abusive pledging rites, such as strenuous runs around campus, with talks on Asian-American issues and walks for cancer.

隨着人們對欺辱行爲的日益關注，人中王國際兄弟會等亞裔大學生聯誼會的成員表示，他們所在的組織積極推廣無欺辱政策、加強成員培訓，並把校園狂奔等可能具有虐待性質的入會儀式替換爲有關亞裔議題的討論，或是爲癌症行走的活動。

In the Syracuse case involving frostbite, Nu Alpha Phi was banned from campus and two of its members, Tae Kim and Jeffrey Yam, who served as pledge masters, are awaiting trial on a misdemeanor charge of hazing. If convicted, they face up to a year in jail.

在雪城大學的凍傷案件中，紐-阿爾法-斐兄弟會被禁止在校園活動，擔任入會考驗主管的兩名會員——金泰（Tae Kim，音）和傑弗裏·任(Jeffrey Yam)遭到欺辱的輕罪指控，正在等待審訊。如果罪名成立，他們會面臨至多一年的監禁。

A lawyer for Yam could not be reached. James Hopkins, a lawyer for Kim, described him as a good student from a humble background who had no record and teaches chess to children. While he said it was unfortunate that the pledging student suffered frostbite, he said, “we are adamant that the same was not the result of criminal conduct on the part of Tae Kim.” (Ultimately, the student did not lose any fingers.)

記者無法與傑弗裏·任的律師取得聯繫。金泰的律師詹姆斯·奧普金斯(James Hopkins)稱他是一個好學生，出身寒微，沒有犯罪記錄，而且還教小孩下國際象棋。他對預備入會的學生被凍傷一事表示遺憾，但他說，“我們堅信，金泰所表現出的犯罪行爲不會導致同樣的結果。”（最終，那名學生沒有失去手指。）

Richard Cohn, a lawyer who represented the family of Luong, the student who died after the football game, said that hazing continues even when students are told they do not have to take part. Pledges are intimidated and fear they will be rejected by the fraternity if they do not participate in the rites, he said. “In practice, what is really happening is flat-out hazing despite the fact that they put together all kinds of legal documents that set forth rules against hazing and all the members are supposed to sign off on it,” he said.

肯尼·樑在參加足球賽後死亡，其家人的代表律師理查德·科恩(Richard Cohn)表示，甚至在學生們被告知他們不需要參加儀式後，欺辱行爲也仍然存在。他表示，預備會員受到威脅，擔心他們如果不參與儀式會被該兄弟會拒絕。他表示，“儘管他們擬定了各種禁止欺辱的法律文件，而且所有會員應該已經在上面簽字，實際上，公開的欺辱行爲仍然存在。”

The leaders of Lambda Phi Epsilon, Nu Alpha Pi and Pi Delta Psi did not respond to emails or calls seeking comment.

人中王、紐-阿爾法-斐以及派-德爾塔-普賽兄弟會沒有回覆請求置評的郵件及電話。

Brian Gee, director of risk reduction for another Asian-American fraternity, Pi Alpha Phi, says that any time there is a hazing-related death or injury “it's a huge setback” for leaders who are trying to make positive changes within their organizations and reinforces negative perceptions of them.

另一個亞裔兄弟會派-阿爾法-斐(Pi Alpha Phi)的風險降低總監布賴恩·吉(Brian Gee)表示，無論什麼時候出現欺辱導致死亡或受傷的情況，對於試圖在組織內部推動積極改變的領袖來說，“都是一個巨大的倒退，”而且進一步加劇了他們的負面形象。

“We're always trying to do our best,” Gee said. “Every fraternity out there, Asian or not, has had setbacks. We do have very high expectations of our memberships to follow our policies. When violations are found, we do our best to hold chapters accountable. Sometimes that comes in the form of educational programming. Other times, it's sanctions or suspensions of chapters.”

“我們總是竭盡所能，”吉說。“每個兄弟會，無論是亞裔與否，都曾遭遇挫折。我們確實對我們的會員抱有很高的期待，期待他們遵守我們的政策。發現違規行爲時，我們竭盡所能對分會進行問責。有時候會以教育課程的形式。有時會對分會予以制裁或停辦處罰。”