Ohio Sororities face review...
 

From the June 21, 2001 edition of the Ohio University Post:

"Two Ohio University sororities face monitoring by judiciaries; hazing and alcohol violations cited.

The Ohio University chapters of Delta Sigma Theta and Delta Zeta sororities currently are facing jucidiary monitoring.

Delta Sigma Theta is on a yearlong suspension for physical and verbal hazing that occurred during Spring pledging. Delta Zeta is on a yearlong probation for violation of the university's alcohol regulations.

A member of the Delta Sigma Theta's pledge class brought the hazing complaint to the judiciaries' attention, said Judy Piercy, director of OU Judiciaries. The sorority will be eligible to return as a university recognized student organization at the end of its suspension but would be on probation for an additional year.

Police in Williamstown, W. Va notified OU that the Delta Zeta's date party that was held on a stern wheeler boat involved underage drinking. Approximately 100 people participated in the social function that caught the Police department's attention when a participant dove overboard and the police were called. The police and Coast Guard found the diver safely on shore, but noticed that many of the underage participants were intoxicated.

As part of the probation, Delta Zeta may not have any functions involving alcohol either on or off campus until the fall of 2002.

Both sororities must meet with Piercy before their probattion or suspension ends to discuss plans to avoid further violations.

"I need to know that they have a clear understanding of the policies," said Piercy. Neither sorority has previous records of judiciary offenses.

Posters note: The Delta Zeta situation, and the university's action, is a little troublesome to me since the alleged violation was not on campus, and, obviously involved a third party vendor (the boat company). However the trend for universities to invoke their regulations in off campus events is becoming more common.

You can be reasonably sure that if the diver had been hurt or killed, the partents would have sued the university as well as the GLO and the boat company.

I guess it's "In loco parentis" (not really sure of that spelling), which was a big topic of student displeasure in the sixties, wherein institutions are held responsible for their children's (students) behavior and safety while they're away from home and, because of that, the schools make and enforce rules which sometimes seem intrusive.

I would personally be more comfortable if the chapter and sorority were held solely accountable -- but I'm not sure the university has any choice but to take this kind of action, given the litigious nature of our society today.

DeltAlum

To fix a typo:

[This message has been edited by DeltAlum (edited July 09, 2001).]

This is total bullsh**!!!!

Isn't the whole POINT of a third party vendor supposed to be that the responsibility to keep underagers from drinking is on them, not the sorority or the school? God, why waste the money if they're not going to do their job? All I can say is, I hope the boat company gets countersued for not doing the job they were PAID to do.

Agreed.

I think the University showed at least a little restraint by doing suspension/probation instead of something more drastic.