February 26, 1998

Mike Daniels, Managing Editor

Monday, an Appalachian State graduate student, Adam Bliss, filed a complaint with the Boone Police Department, accusing members of the Chi Omega sorority of littering in the Boone Town Cemetery.

 Bliss claims that members of the sorority are responsible for leaving boxes, liquor bottles and other trash that bore the sorority’s name and symbol, in the non-enclosed section of the cemetery that sits behind Cone Hall adjacent to Locust Street, some time Thursday night.

 Bliss met with the entire sorority in Cone on Friday about the matter.  The sorority offered to clean up the entire cemetery and raise awareness about the historic site by putting some information and pictures of it in their display case in the student union even though it was only five members of the sorority acting on their own who left the trash there.

 However, Bliss still chose to appeal to higher powers and file a littering complaint with the police.

 “I told them what they had done was wrong, and I thought they should be punished for it,” said Bliss.

 “I think it’s pretty unfortunate that the property has been mistreated,” said Chi Omega President Ashley Lawson.

 “We’re more than willing to help out,” added Lawson.  The sorority has already cleaned up the trash, as well as the rest of the cemetery.

 Jim Street, Assistant Director at the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, who handles Greek affairs, said, “As an administrator and an educator, I want students to understand personal responsibility, and that’s what happened. So I am pleased with the way it was handled.”

 “The positive side of this is that the organization wants to raise awareness for the area,” said Street.  He indicated that the sorority still plans to get involved in clean-up projects and also wants to work with other members of the school in raising awareness about the historic cemetery.

 The sorority claims that the five members responsible for the litter were not involved in an official function at the time, and that they did not even know the area they were in was a part of the cemetery, since there are very few graves in that section.

 Bliss’ complaint does not list Chi Omega as being responsible for the litter, and there is little chance that any charges will be pressed against the sorority.

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