Universities with Greek Life Activities Suspended
 

This morning, the University of New Mexico announced that it will suspend most Greek activities until Feb. 19.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...ife-activities

At this point in the game, I thought it would be easier to create one thread showing all the campuses that have suspended Greek Life activities instead of the multiple threads we currently have.

The University of Idaho announced yesterday that it is instituting a moratorium, unanimously supported by the Greek councils, on all alcohol-related Greek activities until further notice: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/l...189474189.html

University of West Florida

Penn State

I'd be interested in hearing in general what things are changing at these schools before the FSL organizations are cleared of the suspension. What is changing?

I thought that was only two individual chapters. ΖΦΒ and ΤΚΕ?

I’d also be interested to hear from current Chapter Advisors—in light of the insanity going on in a few places and the subsequent threat to all GLOs, are Chapter Advisors taking a proactive approach and reiterating to the collegians how important it is to take extra care right now?
It makes me very angry how GLOs at some schools have done a seemingly good job of implementing new guidelines and others can’t even be bothered to check on drunk pledges. No one should be dying under the circumstances experienced this fall.

On that level, yes, I've already had communication with our FSL office re a current (maybe recently former) fraternity which engaged in some pretty horrible behavior (allegedly) as I wanted to get the FSL office and IFC to take strong public stances as to not receive a system wide shutdown order from on high. This is definitely something which crosses my mind every time I hear about any member of any FSL organization doing something stupid.

Regarding your second paragraph, with underage drinking being illegal, we can't have guidelines to check on drunk pledges because theoretically, all of our pledges are under the age of 21 and therefore shouldn't ever be drunk. In other words, our organizations can't adopt policies to ensure our members' safety when our members are violating the law. Their violating the law was their own choice and the organization can never be responsible for underage drinking.

Same here. I would also love to hear examples or best practices of schools and/or GLO's that have successfully implemented and sustained new guidelines. We need more positive models to point to.

Having just moved back to the US, I stupidly forgot about that.
I completely understand the legality issues you brought up.
But—I wish it wasn’t the case.

I know many schools have implemented alcohol awareness training (Think Drink, etc.), but that doesn’t go very far. I think it would be wonderful if GLOs trained their members (while never supplying alcohol themselves) how to behave IF they were to come across a group of people who had magically become inebriated.

If, for argument’s sake, the drinking age were 16 and it was acknowledged that drinking would occur, there ARE things that can be done—designated sober pledges required to monitor the intake of guests (hand stamps, etc), cut them off if necessary, drive them home, look out for drunken coeds. Teach all members never to leave a drunken friend, how to recognize signs of alcohol poisoning, etc.

I know of some places these practices are starting to be seen, but I’m also aware we’re in a world where some GLOs are still bruising people, so...

Teach it as part of a seminar on entering the work force. "Networking Away From The Office: Be Social, Not Sloppy." Targeted of course to post college behavior when everyone will be nice and legal. (But you can use it before then, nudge nudge wink wink.)

I think that more and more kids are coming to college with zero experience around alcohol (gone are the days when parents bought a keg and took keys to keep things safe, or even a beer or cooler at a family gathering) and they're going from zero to sixty in about a minute and a half. Couple that with the increased isolation-that's-saturation from social media, and it's no damn wonder things are the way they are.

Ohio State is for fraternities only.

Why couldn’t all University IFC offices work with each fraternity HQ to identify which groups are having issues? (Yes, initially, it would be much work to coordinate, but after that, it could be a monthly/bi-monthly report sent via email.) Each university IFC office could report incidents to the individual HQs and vise versa.

If this does already happen, it’s not working well.

Then, any verified issues for that campus could be given to PNMs prior to recruitment.
Just read the heartbreaking article of the Gruver parents who said if they had known the past hazing incidents of the LSU Phi Delt chapter, they would have asked their son if that group was the best to join. Plus, young men going through recruitment could ask members how they are addressing issues (hazing, low GPA, social probation, etc.).

If could help with accountability. Plus, the rest of the Greek groups on each campus already KNOW which groups haze, but most other groups wouldn’t “gossip” as it's considered bad form. Please don’t say Rush Disadvantage. With each misdeed, that chapter makes its bed.

This goes for NPC groups too.

Kevin - any legal concerns with this?

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/...464433723.html

Florida International University will suspend all Greek activities for at least one month.

If they would be specific as to what the hazing entailed, that would be one thing. But I doubt any GLOs would make that known, and there's a huge gap between "made pledges wear sorority colors on Fridays" and "made pledges eat animal poo."

Update from Ohio State regarding fraternity suspensions.

http://www.dispatch.com/news/2017121...end-suspension
"Ohio State University’s Office of Student Life has distributed guidelines and requirements to its suspended fraternities, requiring them to identify and address high-risk behaviors to move toward reinstatement.

"The eight-page document, distributed to the fraternity chapters Friday, comes after Ohio State’s decision last month to indefinitely suspend activities at all 37 of the fraternities governed by its Interfraternity Council. The memo sent Friday details action steps regarding recruitment, new-member activities, social culture, monitoring and continuing education, and alumni, adviser and parent involvement. It emphasizes reducing alcohol use and ending hazing."

So for reinstatement, the students have to agree to criminally incriminate themselves? Again, this seems pretty constitutionally suspect.

"Action steps"

:rolleyes:

My godson was “released” 10 days before Initiation because he was “too good”
And would be a drag on the chapter. Not a drinker or party person, honor student,
That wanted to give back to the community...
You would think the perfect member for many reasons but obviously not for them.
My heart just broke when I was told and I’m still so very angry and disappointed.

We know someone that happened to at Georgia Tech, and his dad was a member of the same chapter. :(

I talked with a mom the other day whose son pledged a "popular" fraternity at a very prominent Greek Life Campus. She said that he realized after recruitment that he got caught up in "tent talk" and his values did not align with the fraternity he pledged. He asked for and was granted a release...and soon after pledged a fraternity full of "his people" who were more focused on academics and leadership (not that the other fraternity did not offer that but it did not seem to be the focus or reputation).

This is the other side of the spectrum from your godson but maybe IFC gives young men an opportunity to move on from a potential bad fit even if the pledges or actives do not see it initially. I hope that your godson is not soured on fraternity life and finds a home somewhere that his values will be appreciated.

My youngest son (the one I had given birth to right before I joined GC, lol) is planning to rush this fall. I desperately hope he can find a group with strong values and that he will be a fraternity man, not a "frat boy".

Wow, that's crazy to think about!

Miami University(OH) has suspended all fraternity activities and pledge programs. All current pledges must be initiated into their respective organizations by 5 pm on Feb. 23.

http://miamistudent.net/ifc-suspends...ty-activities/

Six chapters which have not yet been identified are on cease and desist orders and may not initiate any new members
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/new...rts/358432002/

Agree. And binge drinking is a massive trend over the past 10 years or so - yes, college students have always been drinking a lot, but the binge drinking is a newer trend. That and students - not just girls, guys too - not eating before going to parties (to avoid weight gain) so they're drinking on empty stomaches. In the mental health field, a term has been coined for this: "Drunkerexia". Way worse consequences.

A student at my alma mater Case Western wrote a very thoughtful letter to the editor of the paper on this in 2016.

http://observer.case.edu/gurian-greek/

While a large percentage (usually about 1/3 of the 5000 undergrad students) of CWRU students are greek, as a whole it is a much smaller group of students to work with than the larger schools mentioned in this discussion, CWRU had membership reveiws for several fraternities, with one eventually also having charter revoked by nationals in 2016 (though looks like they're set to come back in 2020). From the alum rumor mill this (and an increase in required programming by the GLO) seem to be keeping things in line.

Like everyone else I don't know what the answer is. College kids are going to binge drink. I live near Ohio State and have heard rumors about fraternities or just a group of members going "underground" and off campus to live like they used to. I'm sure most of this is just an expression of frustration, but if the desire to belong to greek institutions exists, students will find a way to do it, so is it better to have it regulated?

I think about the OSU tradition of jumping into mirror lake before the Michigan game. The university did everything it could to try to stop it or try to separate themselves from liability but students still participated and one lost his life in 2015. After that, even with USG saying they wanted to end it, the Univeristy basically had to drain mirror lake and has been redeveloping the entire site for three years with no certainty that once it's reopened students won't go back to jumping in it in late November.

The threat of or actual closing probably still needs to be on the table as a stick in case the carrots don't work, but I don't know if a middle ground exists.

Kansas University has suspended all Fraternity social functions shortly after S A E BAN from Kansas University.

WOW, such a quick change! Fraternities voted to kick out current IFC Officers.Social functions back on.

Also D U and one other group suspended from campus!

That's very encouraging. I'm glad to see that at least somewhere, IFC isn't just capitulating to whatever demand the administration has.

California Poly- San Luis Obispo has suspended all Greek Life activities indefinitely.

http://www.ksby.com/story/37979871/c...e-indefinitely

I shared an article from the NY Times a few days ago, in another thread (said thread was closed due to ... well ... yeah... enough said), about the situation at Cal Poly SLO. Now this. Cannot say I am surprised.

Powerful letter from the College President.

Sigh.

Letter from a SLO student who is not affiliated with a GLO expressing their disappointment that all Greek Life has been indefinitely suspended.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pr-10...eek-life-foote

TLLK, that's pretty much the response I'd expect from a student. The issues at Cal Poly SLO are way deeper. And this was far from an "almost insultingly transparent Public Relations ploy". The action from IFC and proposed action from Panhellenic are, frankly, too little too late. You don't put a bandaid on a bleeding stump.

I'm not attacking you, please understand that. This is a very deep systemic issue that affects the college culture and beyond. Heck, we have at least one member here willing to defend the actions of Lambda Chi and try to make this something less than what it actually is. Make no mistake, it's not just that fraternity, despite what the student wrote. Hence the action of the College President. His letter addresses First Amendment rights.

AEPi at Temple has been suspended

http://6abc.com/temple-suspends-frat...drugs/3371487/

No worries AZTheta.:):) You're just giving your response to what I posted.

Gamma Phi Beta at Texas State is up and running again, so I assume other chapters are jumping through the hoops and doing the same.

http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr...an-02-2018.pdf

We missed our 50th anniversary celebration, so now they will do it in the fall - when I cannot attend because of the Texas Renaissance Festival. Thanks, President Trauth!