Southern Illinois U. charges Pi Kappa Alpha amid drowning of pledge

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From the Daily Egyptian:

Burke Wasson

Daily Egyptian (Southern Illinois U.)
04/12/2004

(U-WIRE) CARBONDALE, Ill. -- One day after Southern Illinois University-Carbondale freshman and Pi Kappa Alpha pledge Brent Johnson's body was found in Cedar Lake, University administrators revealed on Friday that they have charged the fraternity chapter with numerous alcohol and risk management violations tied to Johnson's drowning.

The fraternity chapter, also known as the Pikes, faces eight charges of alleged violations of the University's alcohol and risk management code.

According to SIUC Spokeswoman Sue Davis, University officials sent a letter to the fraternity chapter Wednesday notifying its members of the charges.

Katherine Sermersheim, director of SIUC Student Development, wrote the letter to the Pikes and scheduled a hearing to discuss the charges at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Illinois Room on the second floor of the SIUC Student Center.

Sermersheim will also conduct the hearing and decide what penalties to hand to the fraternity.

"We've already done some of the investigation, and the hearing is basically to outline the charges and get their reaction to that," said Larry Dietz, SIUC vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. "That's the purpose of it."

Dietz said the possible results of the hearing could range from the University taking no action against the Pikes to permanently banning the fraternity from SIUC.

The vice chancellor previously said if the Pikes' camping trip involved alcohol, the fraternity would be banned at the University.

According to University policy, the fraternity has the right to close the hearing to the public.

Dietz said the Pikes could also choose not to have a hearing and simply acknowledge the charges against them.

If that happens, the vice chancellor said the University would move quickly to decide penalties against the organization.

"If we don't have a hearing, we will go on the basis of the information that we have currently and make some decisions," Dietz said.

"This is an incident that resulted in the loss of life, and we owe it to the family, our University community and to the fraternity to move as quickly as possible to have the hearing and reach a conclusion."

As of Sunday afternoon, Dietz said the Pikes have not contacted University officials concerning how they wish to handle the hearing.

"We've not heard anything from the fraternity," Dietz said. "Technically, they have until Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Either way, we'd like to have a little advance notice so we can proper arrangements."

Dietz said if University officials decide to punish the organization, the Pikes would have a chance to appeal their decision to his office, the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

"I have an assistant who hears appeals both in student judicial cases and in cases such as this," Dietz said. "If they appeal at that level, the decision for the fraternity would be final."

The Pikes are already on an indefinite suspension from the University.

Eric Wulf, the executive director for the national Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, said the SIUC chapter chose to suspend itself from all University functions and events.

Johnson had been missing and presumed drowned since early April 4 after he and another fraternity pledge fell from a canoe in the lake.

Jackson County Sheriff Robert Burns said the deceased freshman was camping with 11 other Pike pledges and three Pike members in the Cove Hollow area on the Cedar Lake shore.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the rest of the fraternity pledges and members were asleep at the campsite and unaware that the canoe carrying Johnson and another pledge capsized.

Burns refused to comment on whether alcohol was involved in the camping trip but did say people who were at the campsite have been interviewed and would continue to be interviewed by police.

Besides conducting an investigation into the Pikes' tragic camping trip, University officials are also asking people to make memorial contributions to a scholarship fund set up by Johnson's family.

Anyone interested can send contributions to the following address: Scholarship Fund, c/o Busey Bank, 312 E. Main St., Mahomet, Ill., 61853.