Phi Delts at Valpo evicted immediately
 

(Thanks to Doug and Fraternal News)

University evicts fraternity

BY KELBY HARTSON CARR

VALPARAISO | Like a scene from "Animal House," Valparaiso University's Phi Delta Theta fraternity was shut down and its 25 members told to move from their housing without notice.

Fraternity members said they were informed of the fraternity's suspension at 11 a.m. Monday by university officials. They were banned from entering the housing until 1 p.m., and had to find someplace else to sleep that night.

The punishment was prompted by a Jan. 7 incident in which 51 intoxicated minors were found in the fraternity house, according to students and university officials.

The international fraternity adopted a no-alcohol policy in 2000.

Reggie Syrcle, executive director of university relations, said the university had no choice. Once the Phi Delta Theta organization decided to close the chapter, according to the university's policy, "It was no longer deemed student housing."

The students were offered the option of moving into a residence hall or finding their own housing.

"Do you really think these kids will be sleeping on the streets?" he asked.

On Tuesday, fraternity members were moving out their belongings while Valparaiso University police officers stood by.

After today, they may only enter the building with a police escort.

"We were given 22 hours" of moving time, said Matt Hoffman, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. "We were kicked out immediately. It's just unreasonable."

Marc Mores, associate executive vice president for Phi Delta Theta's headquarters in Oxford, Ohio, said the decision was because of "a general sense of failing on the part of the chapter."

He noted there also was a homecoming party with alcohol in the fall.

It is typical to lock students out of their housing when a chapter is closed under these conditions, he said.

"We're trying to protect the property and make sure there is no damage done, while still keeping what's in the best interest of the student at hand," Mores said.

Hoffman said his best interests aren't being secured.

As he stood outside the Garfield Avenue house yesterday, another former fraternity member walked up.

"Where are you living at, man?" asked Stephen Furbacher, a sophomore.

Hoffman is staying at a friend's apartment. He said it's hard to pull together enough money for rent and a deposit at a new apartment.

He doesn't want to move into a dorm. His current room was much larger than a dorm room, and it will be hard to get his stuff into a smaller space. He and some of the other men are considering renting storage space.

"You're telling a 22-year-old to go room with an 18-year-old freshman," he said.

Furbacher loathes the idea as well, but said he will probably be forced to do so.

He was shocked when he learned the housing would be locked down. He said it will be tough to move things out of the house and pay attention to his studies.

"I think it's too harsh a punishment," Furbacher said. "I have five classes tomorrow and no place to live."


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When I glanced at the title I thought it said "executed immediately." I was like "whoah, dude, that's harsh."

Well, since hoosier is being The Dick that He is made out to be, I am glad that He posted what He and I and some others get.

He dont Lie, Posts as He Sees Em.

Oh Yes, I get them too! So Do a few others of us!:)

A big negative
 

Won't this behavior lead to resentment toward Phi Delt among the undergraduates, why not have a membership review and a least a little due process.
I hope these boys start a local, this wasn't hazing or abuse, and the article doesn't say all members of the chapter were involved in the drinking.

Re: A big negative
 

I think that when a chapter has two big alcohol offenses within 4 months of each other, Phi Delt isn't worried about the former members being resentful of them. 51 intoxicated minors means that more than 1 or 2 guys were providing alcohol/condoning underage drinking. How long would a bar stay open if they were busted twice in 4 months with serving that many minors at once? Maybe they're lucky they only lost their housing and their fraternity chapter and didn't have legal charges pressed against them.

Dee

Re: A big negative
 

Also, because it's drinking, Phi Delt will take a different view of the problem, given that it is a dry fraternity.

Edited to add: Oops I didn't realize it was the University and not the fraternity that did this...

-Rudey

I don't really drink, never have , I think booze can be dangerous, but I don't put it in the same catagory as hazing.
I don't think charters should be pulled, remember up until 1986 the legal drinking age was 18 in most of the US, in Canada the legal age is still 18 in Mexico and Western Europe its still 18, I'm simply amazed at the reaction by the International, kicking someone out without notice or a hearing is drastic. These guys need a place to live.
I don't think society can get much more oppresive on substance abuse issues.

1986? Wow! I didn't realize that. Michigan has had a 21 year old drinking age since 1978. Ohio allowed drinking 3.2 beer at younger ages while I was in college, but that may as well have been water.

International closed the chapter, it sounds like the University closed the house, but that the Fraternity supported that. The University probably could have done more to find these kids housing, but I suspect they had warning after the Homecoming incident "One more time and your charter will be pulled" and they did the "one more time" anyway.

It's a super touchy issue on campus right now, so I don't want to go into details in case someone might be watching the boards. Just some clarifications.

Their Internationals shut down the fraternity, NOT Valpo. It was Internationals' decision. Valpo owns the house, and in the past there have been issues when fraternities have been kicked out and subsequently vandalized their Valpo-owned houses to the point where they had to be condemned. This explains the issue with the House.

A couple of thoughts.

It appears the University took this action after the fraternity pulled the charter. As per the comment from the Phi Delt official, that is to protect property. We in Delt have had that problem and ended up with a couple of house totally trashed after "brothers" were told to move.

Second, it appears that hazing has nothing to do with this. Breaking the alcohol rules and the law are the given reason.

Third, when 51 underage drinkers are found, more than just a few of a 25 man chapter were probably involved.

Finally, a comment on the "water" we used to drink. At least some of that "low vs. high" beer thing is urban legend. The "legal" beer we were allowed to drink after age 18 was "no more than 3.2 percent alcohol." The "high" beer might have been 3.3 percent -- and in many cases was. It could go up to 6 or 7 percent, depending on the brand name. If you drank enough, you could still get fairly trashed on "low" beer.

I was thinking "compared to the Everclear that guys used to go to Ohio to buy" (they don't sell that in Michigan) rather than other beers, actually. Nobody used to go to Ohio to party as they did (still do) with Windsor because you could really only get that beer anyway and it wasn't worth the trip.

It's not only fraternities that trash houses while living there after a chapter is closed or after a serious house cleaning (meaning suspension of several members) either. I've seen many problems with women who were suspended continuing to live in the house. I don't have enough information on those types of housing situation (where the University owns the house) to know what their actual housing contract states. Do they state that they can be evicted if the student org ceases to exist?

Dee

As a recent alumna from Valpo, I hope this will clarify a few things.

1. The decision to suspend the chapter was made by Phi Delta Theta's international officers, not the University.

2. Fraternity houses are recognized student housing as long as the chapter retains operational status. If the fraternity does not exists, the house is not recognized. Valpo's policy is that all student must live on-campus or in a recognized student residence (ie fraternity house) through their junior year. There are a few exceptions, like if you are married, above a certain age, military veteran, or living with parents at home.

3. Phi Delta Theta and the University definitely has a reason to be concerned about the property. The empty lot across the street where the Pike house stood is an example. After that house was closed, it was trashed to the point it had to be torn down (early 90s.) The former Delta Sigma Phi house (later 90s) was protected after the chapter was closed, and it is in use today as a special interest residence hall.

4. What happened this week is not just about two incidents in the past four months. I am sure that a number of incidents from the past few years also played a part in the decision. I believe that a quote from a Phi Delt spokesperson alludes to that.

The Valpo Greek commmunity is about education. If a mistake is made, and a chapter is willing to face the situation and improve, you will be given a chance. I am not surprised that is a touchy issue on campus because the Greek community is truly a community. What affects one chapter, affects everyone, especially as many students work very hard to keep Greek life strong.

ValpoKD

So I was right. It was Phi Delt that shut them down.

Guys whether or not you think drinking is OK or whether even if it's not but it still doesn't warrant this punishment, Phi Delt is a dry house.

Because of this, the impact on their insurance agreements, and their goals/ideals I'm sure they will look at drinking different than another house if it's out in the open...

-Rudey

I went to college in fall 1985. My dormmates from Beaver County (right over the PA - Ohio border) went to Ohio all the time to party and even after Ohio was blackmailed into passing the 21 age they were grandfathered in. They were allowed to drink any liquor they wanted, not just 3.2 beer.

Which was illegal.

We used to love going to NYC where you could drink anything at 18.

I haven't lived in Ohio since about 1974, but at least up until then you couldn't buy liquor in any store except State owned liquor stores.