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Old 09-22-2001, 01:37 PM
DeltAlum DeltAlum is offline
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I'm not going to quote this entire article. You can read it in "Fraternal News," Digest #67.

"IU Fraternity suspended over alcohol" -- The Herald-Times, Bloomington, IN, Sept. 20, 2001

"Three years after an Indiana University student died at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house, the chapter has again been suspended for an alcohol-related incident.

The good news this time: No one died.

IU Dean of Students Dick McKaig suspended Pi Kappa Alpha after learning from the parents of an IU sophomore that the fraternity pledge had been taken to Bloomington Hospital on Sunday night or Monday.

The alumni housing corporation of the fraternity suspended the chapter Monday, according to a statement released by the chapter.

The national fraternity is also conducting an investigation.

Since April of last year, four fraternity chapters have been thrown off the IU campus. At least three of those cases involved alcohol violations.

The student had been in the fraternity house for a pledge activity known as Dad's Night, in which an active member beomes the pledge's house dad. Later that night, according to McKaig, the student drank heavily.

The student recovered and was released from the hospital.

'He feels primarly responsible,' McKaig said. 'He said he was not forced to drink and it was his choice.'

Even so, having alcohol in a fraternity house is a clear violation of university rules and a serious matter, McKaig said.

The chapter was suspended in 1998 when Joe Bisanz died after a party. The official cause of his death was listed as choking on his own vomit, but his parents have challenged that finding.

Several members of the chapter were kicked out and the house was reorganized, but it never lost its charter and was never kicked off campus.

(McKaig said...) he believes fraternity members can be educated, even if the evidence of chapter closings and violations would tend to indicate otherwise.

(IU IFC President Ben Schmidt) said he hoped it was a case of a few indivduals breaking the rules and not part of a chapter-sanctioned event.

Pi Kappa Alpha member Scott Flannagan is a member of the Interfraternity Council Executive Committee who has been working on policies and progams to respond to alcohol problems at IU fraternities.

Schmidt expressed relief that this latest alcohol incident did not end in a student death -- as happened in Bizanz's case and earlier this year when Seth Korona died after attending a party at Theta Chi.

Korona died after being returned to his dormitory with what turned out to be a fatal head injury. He did not get medical attention for more than 24 hours after his injury.

Eric Wulf, executive director of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity International, said he doesn't know much about the incident yet, but will be investigating.

'We are gathering facts,' he said. 'If there was an incident such as it sounds like, then it would also be a violation of the fraternity policy.'

'We are very concerned about what has happened give what we just went through three years ago.'

The fraternity, which was established at IU in 1950, had 73 members at the end of Spring Semester."

(apparantely continuing the same article as a sidebar...)

"Four Fraternities already kicked off IU campus...

In the last 18 months, four Indiana University chapters have been kicked off campus. Pi Kappa Alpha, which was suspended this week, could be the fifth, depending on the actions of IU and the fraternity's national organization.

Sigma Alpha Mu: The fraternity's national organizations closes the chapter for hazing and other unspecified conduct, April, 2000.

Alpha Sigma Phi: The chapter is suspended by IU inNovember, 1999 after numerous hazing and alcohol violations, including some that require medical treatment. The fraternity's national organization closes the chapter in August, 2000 after a party in the house violates its probationary status.

Theta Chi: While under a no-alcohol police imposed by its national organization, the chapter holds two parties within three days in late January of this year. At the second party, IU freshman Seth Korona falls and strikes his head. He dies a week later in Bloomington Hospital. The chapter is kicked off campus in February.

Beta Theta Pi: The student representatives of Beth Theta Pi chapters across the country vote overwhelmingly to close IU's chapter for repeated alcohol and hazing violations and for ignoring previous disciplinary sanctions. The chapter was facing a lawsuit from a January, 2000 beating of an IU student when it was closed in July of this year.

Other incidents

IU sophomore Joe Bisanz dies after a party at Pi Kappa Alpha in December, 1988. The fraternity is suspended but not kicked off campus.

Zeta Beta Tau fraternity closed in 1997 after a scavenger hunt for new members required them to perform tasks and collect photographs that mocked a variety of racial and ethnic groups as well as homosexuals and women. They also were encouraged to steal pulic and private proterty. The chapter returned to the IU campus last fall.
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