Three Sororities and One Professional Fraternity Suspended at Ohio University
 

Following the suspension and investigation of fraternities earlier this week, Ohio University has also issued Cease-and-desist orders against three sororities governed by the Women’s Panhellenic Association —Delta Zeta’s Omicron Gamma chapter, Chi Omega’s Tau Alpha chapter and Pi Beta Phi’s Ohio Alpha chapter — and against Phi Chi Theta, which identifies itself as the largest co-ed professional business fraternity at OU. In each case, the cause is hazing allegations.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/201910...sity-suspended

I am happy to say that our Beta chapter is not involved in any wrong-doing/allegations in this hazing incident.

However; there's a long list of Can't do's" during suspension and includes:

1. Undergrad members who do not reside in the our chapter house are prohibited from stepping foot on the property or inside the chapter house.
2. Undergrads who do not reside in the chapter house are forbidden to utilize the front/back porches, deck, yard, basketball court.
3. The university says 2 or more brothers in our yard at the same time would be considered a fraternity function.
4. All chapters can not have member events, council or chapter meetings, socials, membership orientation activity, philanthropies/community service, intramural involvement, retreats or participate in homecoming during the duration of the greek wide suspension.

Yes, our homecoming was cancelled.

All I can say is, "wow"!

Completely 100% unconstitutional. Get a lawyer. Where is the ACLU.

"Though the allegations against the four Greek chapters don’t rise to the level of criminal activity"

Then it's not hazing. Got to watch the professional fraternities. Sounds like a witch hunt to me.

Sure appears to me that my alma mater is going after the entire Greek System.

Having been an alumni advisor (Division Vice President) in Colorado several years ago, I have zero tolerance for hazing, but this seems to me to be a very heavy handed over reach by the University.

If the chapter is breaking the rules or the law, suspend it. But only when there is proof.

That is my opinion. I do not speak for Delta Tau Delta.

I'm so glad to hear that Phi Tau is not one of the nine. My oldest son's godfather is an alum of this chapter and they were one of my favorites as an undergrad.
I assume the chapter is petitioning for reinstatement?

And now the band has been suspended...

No chit. Got to watch those band people. OU is out of control.

You obviously don't understand the definitions of hazing and the legal standards of hazing.

Professional fraternities and organizations, as well as philanthropic fraternities and sororities, have all be guilty of hazing. Just because it isn't a group like yours doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Stop dismissing people and their experiences.

Bands have been guilty of extremely violent hazing. There was a fairly recent incident where a drum major was hazed to death in Florida. That ended in a murder conviction. Again, stop dismissing things that you don't know about nor understand happen.

Out of control? Based on reports I've heard from those on the ground at Ohio U, the ones out of control are the student organizations and these actions have been a long time coming.

Based on what I’ve heard, it’s the administration that has gotten out of control. Specifically one administrator. I’m curious as to what this will do to enrollment for next year. OU has been on a huge recruitment push for children of alums and many are saying that they are reconsidering having their children attend or are withholding funds.

Entirely reasonable for a school to consider that don't count as Criminal Activity as hazing. If a fraternity chapter required all of its pledges to dress as Sailor Moon for the entire pledging while carrying around a Brick and sing the Horst-Wessel-Lied (the co-national anthem of Nazi Germany) every time they see one of the brothers, as far as I can tell,there wouldn't be any criminal charges. OTOH, I would expect every NIC fraternity to shut down a chapter that did that and most if not all schools.

Oh stop yourself. But thanks for making my point. Many other organizations engage in questionable behavior, but it's the Fraternities that get all the publicity. Wonder why.

If you don't use a legal definition of hazing, then you have a "whatever I feel like" standard. And that doesn't work. Houses are being punished because, god forbid, little Johnny had to clean the house or someone was "mean" to him.

So riddle me this, is this hazing:
https://www.facebook.com/IndianaUniv...2724941475653/

Wow. One of my friends was a founding sister of that DZ chapter.

<<3. The university says 2 or more brothers in our yard at the same time would be considered a fraternity function.>>

That is seriously ridiculous. So if three brothers have a class together and want to walk to it together, they cannot leave the house at the same time and walk through the yard at the same time? If three guys decide they want to throw a football around outside in the yard, it's a function? If more than two members get out of their cars at the same time, then some have to wait until the others have entered?? There are no words for the level of absurdity.

I'm surprised no one has obtained a Temporary Restraining Order against the school.

Doing this from my work computer, which can't access facebook. And collegiate organizations certainly are held to different standards than places like the military or a state police academy. The US Military in training only guarantees one meal a day and one hour of sleep, so I'd quite happily see Marine Bootcamp have conditions that would see a fraternity not only expelled from a campus but its members prosecuted/convicted

It is a private school so it can be a "whatever I feel like standard". And if the University's standard is too ludicrous, there will be PR/Alumni pushback.

The question is whether these incidents meet a standard of hazing that the University has documented and made the Fraternities/Sororities/Professionals sign.

OU has always had a reputation of being a Party School, a risky school and a hazing school. A looong time ago, my parents told me I could go to any school in Ohio as long as it wasn't OU.

The only students that attended high school with me that went to OU were not going there for an education. They wanted to drink, get high and do as little as it took to get a diploma.

I thought tides had turned but unfortunately, I'm hearing a lot from students that have transfered out and parents that there still is a party culture, a lot of hazing among all student organizations and a lot of sexual abuse.

I too would not be surprised if there was some type of restraining order against the school.

OU is not a private school. In fact, it's nothing more than a glorified high school.

My mistake on the first. On the second, that's simply an opinion.

Greek organizations claim to be values based, above the rest, and providing a value that cannot be provided by anybody else. If we are going to claim to be above the rest, we have to act it.

Good to see you, but sorry this is happening at your alma mater.

When my son was exploring meteorology and broadcast journalism, Ohio U was one of the best in the country for both so I think this may be an extreme statement.

I did not know this and I've actually visited the campus LOL

As a very proud Ohio University alumna, I am beyond offended by this.

OU has one of the BEST communications colleges in the nation as well as top ranked schools in other fields (osteopathic medicine, sport management, and engineering all come to mind).

I grew up in Columbus, and I went to plenty of parties on the tOSU campus. Nothing I saw at OU was worse than at tOSU (as a comparison, but tOSU was never horrid either). OU is in the middle of nowhere, and students stay on campus during the weekends. It is not a commuter or suitcase college. In fact we would joke about all of the students from other universities that came to Athens on the weekends.

is there hazing? for some groups, yes. for all? no. I didn't experience I single example of hazing in my sorority, my co-ed communications society, or any of the other groups of which I was a member.

I guess a parent not allowing a child to go to OU because it is a "party school" is similar to my dad not allowing me to go to Kent State because of the shootings.

Our HQ received official word today that our chapter had their suspension lifted.

I am not sure what/if other chapters had their suspension lifted.

I do apologize for hurting anyone’s feelings but I will not apologize for what I wrote. It’s my opinion whether anyone agrees with it or not. Some of you have criticized the school I attended for less and I never shot back about it.

I do agree they have a few very good programs at OU including their school of Journalism, nursing and ceramics program. They also have a great MFA in acting.

I have 7 friends and one cousin who were parents to former OU students that transferred out of Athens because of the uncontrolled party atmosphere. All say basically the same story: too much alcohol and illegal drug activity, ignored sexual abuse, students that were out of control and that their classes started taking a back seat. Just to note that not all the students were part of the Greek system.

Is everyone at OU like this? No. But when one student said to me, “If I don’t transfer, I’ll end up in rehab or dead”, I realized that nothing has really changed since I was looking at colleges 40 years ago.

Keep reading the news. Some suspensions have been lifted or modified. However, more things keep crawling out of the woodwork for other groups.

Update on the suspensions....

https://www.thepostathens.com/articl...cident-reports

Unbelievable that many of the incidents were nothing more than rumors, people who were not forced to do anything but felt "uncomfortable" at an event, and of course, a rank urban legend that has been around for decades (fat circling on the washing machine).

Rather than the rumors, the article states that some of the suspensions were lifted and modified (relaxed).
:rolleyes:

I share your concern about suspensions being based on hearsay, but I have to say that the fat circling thing HAS HAPPENED on campuses. A friend of mine was subjected to this as a pledge and it was awful.

How many years or decades ago?

Kudos to them for disclosing the "accusations." You can see why universities hide behind loaded terms like "hazing" and "alcohol violations." Most of the alleged conduct, even if true, doesn't arise to hazing. At least not to where you shut places down. There are maybe 2 or 3 serious allegations which should be investigated to corroborate the rumor.