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American Morning

Hazing Death?

Aired September 25, 2002 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A family in California is suing one of the most prestigious sororities for African-American women after their daughter and another female college student drowned earlier this month. The family of Kristin high say she died during a sorority hazing. They say pledges were led into the ocean blindfolded, with their hands tied. This week, her family and fiance filed a $100 million wrongful death suit against Alpha Kappa Alpha and five women who also got involved in this suit.
Joining us now fro Los Angeles, Kristin's mother, Patricia Strong Fargas, and Kristin's fiance, Holman Authurs, with whom Kristin has a young son, and their attorney, Angela Reddock.

Good morning. Welcome to all of you.

Patricia, tell us what your understanding is the night of what happened the night your daughter died.

PATRICIA STRONG-FARGAS, DAUGHTER DROWNED: Actually, it was a pledging, hazing incident that was being taken at Playa Del Ray Beach, and being led by so-called big sisters who led them out into the ocean, knowing that they were -- that -- not knowing that high tides were 10 feet and waves 10 feet high, and that she was blind-folded and hand tied, and it was like a trust incident, and there she drowned, and that's what I received from the police, I mean, things that the police had said, that she drowned from there?

ZAHN: But, Angela, please help us understand why not everyone is buying that story. What is at issue here?

ANGELA REDDOCK, ATTORNEY: The issue was the big sisters have stated to the police is that it was just an accident, that they were just out that night, exercising and engaging in frivolous activities. However, we know based on events leading up to that night, as well as events which actually occurred that night that it was much more that an accident. We know that the girls were there. The four pledges were there. They had heavy duty black sweatsuits on. They heavy duty tennis shoes on. They had been out there exercising and engaged in other activities which are associated with sorority pledging and hazing incidents. And as a part of traditional sorority pledging process that they go through here in California, they were led out into the ocean and their hands were tide and they were blindfolded and asked to engage in several activities to demonstrate their trust for each other, and their commitment as potential big -- or potential sorority sisters.

ZAHN: Before you go any further, I want you to help clear up some of the contradictions in the story. Alpha Kappa Alpha says it already has a policy in place that prohibits hazing, and Cal State University has this to say about the drowning of the two young women. Quote: "Alpha Kappa Alpha is not in any way connected to this campus. We do not have a chapter here." She also told that no one even petitioned to form a chapter on campus, and the national president of AKA published a member to members of the sororities Web site Tuesday, saying this, that no Alpha Kappa sorority chapter has been authorized by California State University.

How are you going to prove what happened to your clients?

REDDOCK: Well, to address your first point, there was not a specific Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Cal State University. What it was a chapter called the Sigma chapter, which is a citywide chapter, which encompasses multiple chapters throughout Southern California, where a school may not be big enough or have enough members to have their own individual chapter, the students at that school have the option of pledging the citywide chapter, and that was the case here.

ZAHN: Patricia, why are you so convinced that your daughter was in fact pledging this sorority?

STRONG-FARGAS: Because I have evidence from my home that she was pledging the sorority because -- she said it herself. She said it to me, that she was pledging. She told her fiance she was pledging. She told her friends. We have evidence of an intent letter we received, and also in mid-mornings, she would come home, she would have green paint all over her body where they had thrown over her, and they were calling her constantly, doing pledging activities, doing things for the big sisters. Even one morning, mayonnaise all over her face. It was just really pledging activities.

HOLMAN ARTHURS, KRISTIN HIGH'S FIANCE: It was common knowledge to the family that pledging activities were going on, but they started of as a frivolous nature. She would have go and do things clean people's houses and things of that nature. And over the course of four weeks, they escalated into the incident that happened that led to her untimely demise.

Also to sum up what she was really thinking about, what she really was doing. I have a letter after personal statement that she made, that she gave to the chapter, of a letter of intent. It was a personal statement. Basically, the last line staying, "Being that I am a determined, motivated and conscious person, becoming a member of the reputable Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated will be among one of the highest achievements of my life.

Basically these women, these big sisters, basically took her drive, her motivation, her drive to help others, because she believed that once she became part of this organization, she had the outlet and the connections to help people. This is a woman that was the president of the NAACP at her chapter Cal State L.A. That is on record. She also ran for a national position that she won. This was an educated beautiful person with the drive to help others, and she believed that being part of this organization would help her succeed in life. ZAHN: You no doubt know what people are asking, that even though she made you aware of what she may have endured for a four-week people, in spite of what she felt about the indignity of entering this sorority, why did she hang in there?

ARTHURS: She basically hang in there, because this was like an indefinite process that had stages of dissension. The stages of dissension had no set time. So by the fourth week, she was almost towards the end. So when she expressed her dismay to the big sisters, and to myself and the others, they would pacify her by saying, the big sisters, they would pacify her by saying, you may as well hang in, because any day, you are going to become a member of the sorority.

REDDOCK: Paula, additionally, Kristin comes from a family that has many women who are members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, so Kristin was hoping to become a long tradition of which her family has become a part of for years. So that was part of the motivation as well. And certainly, Kristin participated in the activities, but ultimately, we don't believe Kristin thought her participation would ultimately lead to her death. And had she thought that, we are sure that she would not have continued to participate in the activities, and she so wanted to be a member of the sorority that she continued in hopes that it would ultimately end, and that she would then become a part of making change in the organization and bringing it in to the types of activities that led to letter death.

ZAHN: We have to leave it there on that note, Patricia Strong- Fargas, Holman Arthurs, thanks for your time. Once again, just for perspective, the university is saying that Alpha Kappa sorority chapter had been authorized for California State University.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 25, 2002 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A family in California is suing one of the most prestigious sororities for African-American women after their daughter and another female college student drowned earlier this month. The family of Kristin high say she died during a sorority hazing. They say pledges were led into the ocean blindfolded, with their hands tied. This week, her family and fiance filed a $100 million wrongful death suit against Alpha Kappa Alpha and five women who also got involved in this suit.
Joining us now fro Los Angeles, Kristin's mother, Patricia Strong Fargas, and Kristin's fiance, Holman Authurs, with whom Kristin has a young son, and their attorney, Angela Reddock.

Good morning. Welcome to all of you.

Patricia, tell us what your understanding is the night of what happened the night your daughter died.

PATRICIA STRONG-FARGAS, DAUGHTER DROWNED: Actually, it was a pledging, hazing incident that was being taken at Playa Del Ray Beach, and being led by so-called big sisters who led them out into the ocean, knowing that they were -- that -- not knowing that high tides were 10 feet and waves 10 feet high, and that she was blind-folded and hand tied, and it was like a trust incident, and there she drowned, and that's what I received from the police, I mean, things that the police had said, that she drowned from there?

ZAHN: But, Angela, please help us understand why not everyone is buying that story. What is at issue here?

ANGELA REDDOCK, ATTORNEY: The issue was the big sisters have stated to the police is that it was just an accident, that they were just out that night, exercising and engaging in frivolous activities. However, we know based on events leading up to that night, as well as events which actually occurred that night that it was much more that an accident. We know that the girls were there. The four pledges were there. They had heavy duty black sweatsuits on. They heavy duty tennis shoes on. They had been out there exercising and engaged in other activities which are associated with sorority pledging and hazing incidents. And as a part of traditional sorority pledging process that they go through here in California, they were led out into the ocean and their hands were tide and they were blindfolded and asked to engage in several activities to demonstrate their trust for each other, and their commitment as potential big -- or potential sorority sisters.

ZAHN: Before you go any further, I want you to help clear up some of the contradictions in the story. Alpha Kappa Alpha says it already has a policy in place that prohibits hazing, and Cal State University has this to say about the drowning of the two young women. Quote: "Alpha Kappa Alpha is not in any way connected to this campus. We do not have a chapter here." She also told that no one even petitioned to form a chapter on campus, and the national president of AKA published a member to members of the sororities Web site Tuesday, saying this, that no Alpha Kappa sorority chapter has been authorized by California State University.

How are you going to prove what happened to your clients?

REDDOCK: Well, to address your first point, there was not a specific Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Cal State University. What it was a chapter called the Sigma chapter, which is a citywide chapter, which encompasses multiple chapters throughout Southern California, where a school may not be big enough or have enough members to have their own individual chapter, the students at that school have the option of pledging the citywide chapter, and that was the case here.

ZAHN: Patricia, why are you so convinced that your daughter was in fact pledging this sorority?

STRONG-FARGAS: Because I have evidence from my home that she was pledging the sorority because -- she said it herself. She said it to me, that she was pledging. She told her fiance she was pledging. She told her friends. We have evidence of an intent letter we received, and also in mid-mornings, she would come home, she would have green paint all over her body where they had thrown over her, and they were calling her constantly, doing pledging activities, doing things for the big sisters. Even one morning, mayonnaise all over her face. It was just really pledging activities.

HOLMAN ARTHURS, KRISTIN HIGH'S FIANCE: It was common knowledge to the family that pledging activities were going on, but they started of as a frivolous nature. She would have go and do things clean people's houses and things of that nature. And over the course of four weeks, they escalated into the incident that happened that led to her untimely demise.

Also to sum up what she was really thinking about, what she really was doing. I have a letter after personal statement that she made, that she gave to the chapter, of a letter of intent. It was a personal statement. Basically, the last line staying, "Being that I am a determined, motivated and conscious person, becoming a member of the reputable Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated will be among one of the highest achievements of my life.

Basically these women, these big sisters, basically took her drive, her motivation, her drive to help others, because she believed that once she became part of this organization, she had the outlet and the connections to help people. This is a woman that was the president of the NAACP at her chapter Cal State L.A. That is on record. She also ran for a national position that she won. This was an educated beautiful person with the drive to help others, and she believed that being part of this organization would help her succeed in life. ZAHN: You no doubt know what people are asking, that even though she made you aware of what she may have endured for a four-week people, in spite of what she felt about the indignity of entering this sorority, why did she hang in there?

ARTHURS: She basically hang in there, because this was like an indefinite process that had stages of dissension. The stages of dissension had no set time. So by the fourth week, she was almost towards the end. So when she expressed her dismay to the big sisters, and to myself and the others, they would pacify her by saying, the big sisters, they would pacify her by saying, you may as well hang in, because any day, you are going to become a member of the sorority.

REDDOCK: Paula, additionally, Kristin comes from a family that has many women who are members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, so Kristin was hoping to become a long tradition of which her family has become a part of for years. So that was part of the motivation as well. And certainly, Kristin participated in the activities, but ultimately, we don't believe Kristin thought her participation would ultimately lead to her death. And had she thought that, we are sure that she would not have continued to participate in the activities, and she so wanted to be a member of the sorority that she continued in hopes that it would ultimately end, and that she would then become a part of making change in the organization and bringing it in to the types of activities that led to letter death.

ZAHN: We have to leave it there on that note, Patricia Strong- Fargas, Holman Arthurs, thanks for your time. Once again, just for perspective, the university is saying that Alpha Kappa sorority chapter had been authorized for California State University.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com