Pi Kappa Phi Closes at Berkeley (Update July 5, 2005)
The University of California at Berkeley has announced that Pi Kappa Phi will close for a year. There will be many conditions placed upon it if the chapter returns. Excerpts from the Berkeley press release (the address for the whole press release is at the end of this post):
A University of California, Berkeley, fraternity chapter involved last spring in a hazing incident in which a student was shot dozens of times with a pellet gun, will be closed for a year and forced to start fresh with new membership, campus officials announced today (Tuesday, July 5).
The fraternity will not be allowed to resume operations as a UC Berkeley chapter until August 2006 and only then amid a host of conditions, restrictions and close oversight by the campus administration and the fraternity's national headquarters.
The sanctions taken against Pi Kappa Phi fraternity were reached as part of a settlement agreement between the campus and the fraternity and represent the most severe and comprehensive disciplinary action that UC Berkeley has taken against a fraternity in several years, said Karen Kenney, the campus's dean of students.
"UC Berkeley has a zero-tolerance policy on hazing, and the offenses in this case were especially shocking and disturbing," said Kenney. "Strong disciplinary action was called for and is appropriate."
The complete press release is on one of Berkeley's web pages at:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/r...aternity.shtml