MAJOR Penalties for 8 GLOs at Colorado State U.

[exlurker]

The Rocky Mountain News reports that recent infraction of alcohol rules
has led to serious measures:

Recognition withdrawn: Pi Kappa Alpha

One-year suspension: Pi Kapa Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta

One-year social probation: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Gamma Phi Beta

http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/lo...065483,00.html

I hate to point out the obvious, but what the h*ck were the chapters thinking? Colorado State (as well as the U. of Colorado and Colorado College) has been all over the local, regional and national news within the last year for alcohol - related deaths and other problems. Violating the alcohol rules doesn't seem to be a terrifically smart thing to do under the circumstances. (But maybe that's just me.)


Excerpts from article:


. . . School officials said they learned of a series of parties that occurred on Sept. 1. At these parties, they said, alcohol was provided and consumed by fraternity and sorority members within several fraternity houses in violation of both chapter and university rules and regulations . . .

"Overall, we are very proud of the positive choices our students, including our Greek community, have made and the way they have conducted themselves during the first weeks of this semester," said Linda Kuk, vice president for student affairs.

"Unfortunately, we saw an exception to this late last week when a group of fraternity and sorority members took part in alcohol-related activities that were clearly in direct violation of university and Greek system rules. As in the past, the university is taking strong and decisive action and making clear that this type of irresponsible behavior is unacceptable at Colorado State." . . .


According to the school, the following disciplinary actions have been taken:

-- Withdrawal of recognition of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity as a student organization. The fraternity may reapply for chapter recognition for a minimum of seven years only if its members meet a set of strict guidelines put forth by the university. The fraternity loses all advantages and privileges afforded to Greek and student organizations recognized by Colorado State, including: use of campus facilities, equipment or resources; participation in intramurals or in the Greek league; participation in sponsored recruitment publications, training and events; participation in the Intrafraternity/Panhellenic Council; sponsorship of any social or other events with any other university organization; ability to participate in the University Seal of Approval endorsement at Preview and on the Greek Life and Parents and Families Web sites and for recruitment periods; registration of football tailgating events; use of Colorado State University name, logo or symbols.

-- Suspension of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, the Chi Omega sorority and the Delta Delta Delta sorority. These organizations and their members are suspended from engaging in any Greek-related activities or functions for a period of one academic year. This includes all activities except those essential to run the chapter or the house. All Greek or chapter social, intramural, philanthropic, recruitment and other non-management activities are suspended. Chapters must apply for the termination of the suspended status.

-- Social probation for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. These chapters and their members are suspended from engaging in any Greek-related social activities or functions (including the Formal) which include the use, presence or pre-consumption of alcohol, for a period of one academic year. Chapters must apply for the termination of the social probation status.

"It is our desire to have a successful Greek community on campus, and Greek members must realize that they have a shared responsibility to abide by the agreements that have been made among their chapters and with the university," Kuk said.

"Overall, the Greek community has done an excellent job over the past year in building a stronger community and partnering with the university. However, as this case demonstrates, there are serious consequences for those who choose to break the rules."

. . .

[hoosier]

I guess they've reaped what they and their predecessors have sown.

If the Univ. only has a hammer (suspension), it's a pretty poor educational institution.

Is this a campus where the school owns/controls the houses?

[exlurker]

The Colorado State U. press release about the actions can be accessed from their "recent news releases" page:

http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/index.asp

(I suppose in a few days or weeks you might have to use their function for searching news releases.)

Just a memory jogger: Colorado State is where Samantha Spady died. Lots of alcohol awareness activity and concern there in the last year or so.

[Angels&Arrows]

5/8 NPC chapters are on probation on one campus.. WOW!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by hoosier
Is this a campus where the school owns/controls the houses?

No.

I'm pleased (although a little surprized) that our chapter isn't one of the ones named. It was one of my chapters when I was a Division Vice President and there used to be a fair amount of beer there. I hope they've taken the new rules seriously.

They had a suicide in the house a couple years ago which may have sobered (pun not intended or meant) the chapter.

[Tom Earp]

Maybe The Colleges are Idiots and Have No Control. Look at Jocks!!! Oh, alas the Jock Strap Leaders!

If I said Cluster Fu*K would anyone disagree?

[AngieWashU]

An addition to exlurker's original post: Colorado College had one alcohol-related death last year, but it was unrelated to the Greek system.

How will the sororities and fraternity that are suspended for a year (incl. prohibition on recruiting) survive?

[AngieWashU]

Sorry to post again, but I thought you all might be interested to know that the school had worked with the fraternities and sororities to provide positive recognition in the form of a "seal of approval". Read more here:

http://www.csugreeks.com/Seal_of_Approval.htm

[adpiucf]

This may seem very harsh, but they're trying to clean up the system and send a very strong message home. Doubtless, members will drop and the strong will stick around--- so when they come off probabtion, they'll have clean houses of dedicated and determined members-- and they won't be fooling around when it comes to recruiting like-minded members.

[33girl]

Originally posted by adpiucf
This may seem very harsh, but they're trying to clean up the system and send a very strong message home. Doubtless, members will drop and the strong will stick around--- so when they come off probabtion, they'll have clean houses of dedicated and determined members-- and they won't be fooling around when it comes to recruiting like-minded members.

Or the houses that are on probation will party undercover so to speak, with no regulations, and become even more popular.

[33girl]

Originally posted by AngieWashU
An addition to exlurker's original post: Colorado College had one alcohol-related death last year, but it was unrelated to the Greek system.

How will the sororities and fraternity that are suspended for a year (incl. prohibition on recruiting) survive?

Sorority and fraternity recruitment has already concluded for the year, so they probably wouldn't have needed to recruit for another year anyway.

[adpiucf]

Originally posted by 33girl
Or the houses that are on probation will party undercover so to speak, with no regulations, and become even more popular.

Excellent point. I'd hate to think they'd be that foolish. The first risk management issue to arise out of that and their charter is gone.

It's hard to remember being that age and not making the connection that breaking the law results in consequences-- whether you're 40, 20 or 10 years old. It's not because the admin wants to be mean and ruin their good fun. Admin has a responsibility to protect the well-being of the student body. If that means curbing the Greeks from destructive behaviors and getting them back on track, so be it. That's how a national office would handle this, too.

[James]

I like you adpiucf, but I believe your observations in this case are extremely naive.

Alcohol violations are not felonies, they are about at the same level as traffic tickets. Although the penalties have gotten more inconvenient.

If the University saw this situation as a clear and present danger to students they would expell all the students involved.

The organizations didn't have a party, the students had a party. The organizations didn't serve alcohol, (if they did) the students served alcohol.

So why go after the whole organization? Not the students?

Because it looks good. IF they ban your sorority it makes it look like they are tough on alcohol. In fact, it almost makes it look like they got rid of someone or something when in fact they didn't.

The organization is just an idea in people's minds. ITs not "real" I can't talk to Kappa Sigma on the phone, just people that belong to it.

The classes the students take are not affected, the social activities of the students as far as campus activities go are not affected. The ability of students to drink and provide alcohol as independants is not affected, in fact its increased because of less scrutiny.

As someone who has had a lot of access to collegiate policy makers and sat on boards involving policy I can tell you point blank that the reason college administrators adore attacking greek life is that they can make a big splash by "punishing" an organization that has no tangible reality and they can do it without affecting enrollment.

If they went after the students involved and expelled them, they would take a serious dip in enrollment (lost money) as well as open themselves up to lawsuits from irate parents who just lost thousands of dollrs.

If they suspended the students many would withdraw and again parents would go ballistic.

And yet, if the real reason the organizations were punished was to protect the safety of other students, then the students that performed those violations would be suspended or expelled.

Its just PC politics, so lets not dignify it with noble sounding rationalizations that reek of sophistry.

Originally posted by adpiucf
Excellent point. I'd hate to think they'd be that foolish. The first risk management issue to arise out of that and their charter is gone.

It's hard to remember being that age and not making the connection that breaking the law results in consequences-- whether you're 40, 20 or 10 years old. It's not because the admin wants to be mean and ruin their good fun. Admin has a responsibility to protect the well-being of the student body. If that means curbing the Greeks from destructive behaviors and getting them back on track, so be it. That's how a national office would handle this, too.

[exlurker]

A couple of items from the coverage by a CBS station in Colorado (I like the quote about taking Ms Spady’s death “very seriously,” but that’s probably because way down deep I’m a bad person):


. . . early-morning "Rise and Ralph" booze parties that came one year after a student drinking death prompted a campus-wide crackdown. . . .

Mark Koepsell, CSU's director of Greek life, called the incident a "widespread violation of policy." In an e-mail to fraternity and sorority presidents, he warned that "the Greeks at CSU will not survive another negative incident."

School officials said members of the societies drank alcohol at several fraternity houses and private homes at about 5 a.m. on Sept. 1 to celebrate the end of sorority recruiting.

The parties came about a year after Samantha Spady, 19, a sophomore from Beatrice, Neb., died of alcohol poisoning on Sept. 5, 2004.

Her death sparked reforms aimed reducing alcohol abuse at CSU, and the Greek societies banned alcohol in their 17 houses.

. . . "Rise and Ralph" is a long-standing tradition, said sophomores Nichole Borman and Elizabeth Reider, who said they participated in it last year.

"We wake up at 5, and we just go out and drink and go to classes drunk," Reider said.

Borman said it was a coincidence the parties took place near the anniversary of Spady's death.

"We would never drink to remember Samantha Spady," Borman said. "We all took (her death) very seriously."

The entire story:

http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/loc...252103212.html

[33girl]

I really wonder if Samantha Spady would be happy to know that all these crackdowns and regulations are being made because of something stupid that she did. Somehow I doubt it.