Chi Tau () was a local fraternity at Chico State University that landed in the media spotlight following the 2005 hazing death of Matthew Carrington.
Fraternity history
Chi Tau was founded as a local chapter in May 1939, existing as an unaffiliated organization for seventeen years. Its early mission statement was,"To build character and to create a stronger feeling of brotherhood through tolerance." The 1940 yearbook notes that the name was derived from the words "character" and "tolerance."
Seeking a national connection it became Delta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Phi on May 20, 1956. Alumni from the chapter operating as a governing board purchased a home for the chapter in 1991.
In 2001, due to a series of alcohol violations the chapter was suspended by Delta Sigma Phi headquarters, and at the same time expelled from the university - this action also taken for alcohol violations. The chapter decided to continue to operate as a rogue (unsanctioned, unrecognized) fraternity, reverting to its original (local) name of Chi Tau. Alumni members from the Delta Alpha era continued to own the group's house, located on West Fourth Street, the same house which had been purchased by the control board in 1991.
By Fall of 2003, within two years of the group's "going local," the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Chico State pushed for the city to remove the group's Greek letters from the front of their house. They explained that the Chi Tau organization was giving other, legitimate, Greek groups on campus a bad reputation and they wanted to distance themselves from a troublesome group. The local fraternity was known for parties, alcohol, and violence because, since its expulsion as a recognized organization, it was not held to the policies or standards of other nationally-affiliated groups. Hence, other Greek organizations wanted to strip the "XT" letters from the house in a measure to prevent community members from associating Chi Tau with these other recognized Greek organizations. For its part, the local Chi Tau chapter was no longer interested in regaining affiliation with Delta Sigma Phi because they felt they would be restricted by Delta Sig policies and would not benefit from a relationship with the national organization.
Hazing death
In 2004, the following year, twenty-one year old Matthew Carrington transferred to Chico State to start classes that Fall as a transfer student from Diablo Valley College. He was studying management information systems, and was asked to pledge Chi Tau by his friend Mike Quintana. The two men began their pledgeship that same Fall.
By late 2004 or early 2005, towards the end of the several-month pledge process, Carrington indicated to friends that he was tired of pledging and his grades were beginning to suffer from it. Yet he continued. Chi Tau forced the pledges to spend the final week, known by the fraternity as "Inspiration Week," or more commonly by the pledges as "Hell Week", in the basement of the fraternity house. The 10-foot by 20-foot basement was a cold, damp room littered with cigarette butts and writing on the walls, including the phrase "In the basement, no one can hear you scream."
Day 1
Matt's week of living in the basement began on January 30, 2005. On that same day, a sewer line in the house had burst, flooding the basement with several inches of sewage contaminated water. Pledges were forced to do push-ups and sit-ups in the sewage and sleep in small cubby holes that had been cut into the basement wall.
Day 2
The "Pledge Olympics" got underway around 11PM. Pledges were forced to run up and down the stairs and play Wiffleball inside the house. Due to extremely cold conditions, they were allowed to sleep in the main portion of the house instead of the basement.