The Machine, the local chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon at the University of Alabama, is comprised of a select coalition of traditionally white fraternities and sororities designed to influence campus politics. The Greek letters for Theta Nu Epsilon spell θΝΕ in English, likely some sort of acknowledgment or designation of the organization as a kind of umbrella fraternity, a fraternity of fraternities. The Machine controlls much of student life at the University of Alabama and has gone so far as to install members in local government so as to exercise its power against the City of Tuscaloosa.
According to newspaper accounts and a documentary produced by the University of Alabama, the Machine is believed to control the Student Government Association (SGA), having won all but seven races for the SGA presidency since 1914, including wins against former Alabama Gov. George Wallace (a non-Machine candidate) and the annual Homecoming elections. It is also believed that the Machine owns a popular bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama called Gallette's, which is frequented almost exclusively by white greeks.
Founded in 1914 by the late Sen. Lister Hill, who also founded the Jasons Mens Senior Honorary and who served as the first president of the SGA, the Machine initially consisted of select fraternities; sororities were not offered membership until 1976 - to this day, not all greek letter organizations have been offered membership, and it is believed that over the years, some fraternities and sororities that were members have had their memberships revoked. Theta Nu Epsilon was designed to benefit the elite of greek organizations and prepare them for future leadership roles.
A candidate who is offered political office by the Machine is guaranteed several thousand votes in their favor, ensuring victory. In April 1945, The Crimson White student newspaper wrote an editorial which read in part, "[t]he Machine should be commended for at least putting up candidates and seeing that their people vote. That is probably more than any other group will do. For that they should be commended." It is believed that 90% of those who are put up for SGA office by the Machine go on to political careers in Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana. Members include former Alabama Lt. Gov. Bill Baxley, former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and current U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby.
SGA elections have been marred by violent assaults and death threats in the past, resulting in an FBI investigation, an expose in Esquire Magazine, and national media coverage from CNN and USA Today.
Members of the Machine do not admit as such, in fact, they deny its very existence despite documented evidence to the contrary. However, the Machine continues to be extremely active in campus, controlling important events and exercising power over its fellow students from late night meetings in fraternity basements and other secret locations.
The following organizations are believed to make up the membership of the Machine at the present time: AXΩ, ΑΔΠ, ΑΓΔ, AOPi, ΒΘΠ, XΩ, ΔX, ΔΔΔ, ΔKE, ΔTΔ, ΔZ, KA, KΔ, KKΓ, KΣ, ΛXA, ΦΔΘ, ΦΓΔ, ΦM, ΠBΦ, ΠKA, ΠKΦ, ΣΦE, ΣX, ΣN, ΘX, ZBT, and ZTA.
The following greek letter organizations are not believed to be members of the Machine at the present time, if ever: AKA, AKΛ, AΦA, ATΩ, XΦ, ΔΣΘ, ΓΦB, KAΘ, ΛΣΦ, ΦBΣ, ΩΨΦ, ΦKΨ, ΣAE, ΣΔT, ΣΓP, and ZΦB.
These fraternities and sororities are each supposedly represented in the Machine by two current members of their respective greek letter organizations. The two 'reps' are appointed -usually in their sophomore year- by an outgoing 'rep' from their house who is graduating. The 'reps' are divided into classes within the Machine, and each house's delegation is classified as a 'senior rep' and a 'junior rep' for purposes of a hierarchy must like the distinction between U.S. Senators in their home states. Not every house has two 'reps' at all times though. New 'reps' are "brought down" by their 'senior rep' to become the 'junior rep' - this process of confirmation and initiation can take several weeks or even months. The job of these 'reps' are varied and can be very time consuming. Since 1949, Machine 'reps' have been accused of threats and "attempted coercion" of members of fraternities and sororities as the mechanism that has "kept the inner-machine in power here for many years." Despite these charges, it is considered a great honor within the greek community to be tapped as a 'rep'.
The 'reps' choose the slate of candiates for both the SGA Senate and the SGA executive branch every year whom the Machine member houses will vote for, as well as determining the outcome of the Homecoming election, dealing with the City Council when unfavorable legislation is introduced, and organizing lobbying efforts and arguments on behalf of the greek system to the University president, trustees, and state legislature. Reps must also make certain that members of their home fraternity or sorority abide by the Machine's code of secrecy. The motto of the Machine is, "Little is known and what is known is kept secret." The seal of the Machine is a skull with the letters 'TNE' engraved on the forehead, along with crossed keys. The loss of total secrecy began seriously eroding in 1968, when both candidates for SGA President, both greek, did not deny the existence of the Machine. As a result, the current modus operandi of the Machine is to completely deny their knowledge and/or involvement when asked by anyone, especially the media.
History
Many accounts of Alabama's 'Machine' have portrayed the organization as a sinister nexus of white elitist fraternal organizations. However, these portrayals were perpetrated in part by the organization itself since it tended to distract from the facts of its operation while at the same time reinforcing its paranoia and mythology. These accounts have often incorporated as sources greeks and independents with overtly political motivations.
UA's 'Machine' is a chapter of Weslyan's Theta Nu Epsilon society and Yale's Skull and Bones. Theta Nu Epsilon was an honorary organization for sophomores started on December 5, 1870 at Weslyan University which drew direct inspiration from Yale's Skull and Bones society for Juniors, and in fact Weslyan's Theta Nu Epsilon used the same constitution for the first two years.
The Machine currently operating at the University was chartered in 1914, stating that its mission was to "positively influence the campus and the community, and that when it failed to do so, it should be disbanded." The term 'Machine' has been used to describe the organization's efficiency for placing its members into the SGA and state-wide politics.
The Machine ensured that student government at Alabama continued to be all white and predominantly male until 1976. During that year, white sorority members aligned with African American students to elect an African American student, Cleo Thomas, as student government president. During the election, white fraternity members burned crosses in the yard of a sorority supporting Thomas. After 1976, the Machine adjusted its structure to allow women the support of the Machine as student government officers.
In 1983, another independent candidate, John Bolus, successfully challenged the Machine. The campaign was marked by some serious acts attributed to the Machine such as the tapping of Bolus' phone. An investigation by the FBI resulted in two arrests. In 1985, another non-Machine candidate for student government president, John Merrill, again successfully defeated the Machine. Merrill, who was not in a fraternity during his undergraduate career, had been backed by the Machine in a successful bid for student government vice president but had not accepted the group's endorsement. According to Merrill, when the Machine determined that he intended to run for student government president, it began to engage in varying levels of harassment. He described how people left harassing calls on his answering machine such as threatening his wife with rape and told how he had to start hiding his vehicle because "people would let the air out of the tires." In one startling instance, Merrill surprised individuals who were breaking into his student government office. Merrill, who had two friends with him, got one of them to go to the office of the campus paper, and a reporter came to Merrill's office while one of the individuals was still there. The campus reporter photographed the individual and wrote an article about the incident. Due to the candidacy of another independent candidate, Merrill trailed in the general election by about 100 votes to the Machine candidate. In the runoff election Merrill ended up winning, however, by about 110 votes out of approximately 5,000 votes cast.
In 1989, the Machine backed a sorority member for president but the election was marred by alleged voter fraud. As a result of the election, students were no longer allowed oversight of future student government elections. Voter fraud again was alleged with the advent of internet voting during the 2003 election, resulting in the results being invalidated and a second paper ballot election being held the following week. In both elections in 2003, the Machine backed sorority member was elected by a wide margin.
After the 1993 assault of Minda Riley, a Machine sorority member (Phi Mu) who did not have the backing of the Machine to run for office, the University suspended the SGA from campus for three years. Riley, the daughter of current Alabama Governor Bob Riley, was allegedly threatened and cut by a man wearing a mask and wielding a knife. In addition, Riley was also reportedly the target of threatening notes and had a cross burned in her yard. The SGA resurfaced with the blessing of the University in 1996.
In the spring of 2004, The Crimson White published an article entitled 'You don't want to mess with us' which exposed the Machine in detail through a harassment incident with a student which transferred from UA the previous year.