Mississippi State U: Investigation of Alleged Alcohol Violations (Kappa Sigma)

[exlurker]

Investigations are underway, according to this recent article. As far as I know, no charges have been brought:

http://media.www.reflector-online.co...-3780619.shtml

Excerpts:

The Mississippi State University Police Department and the Dean of Students Office are investigating Kappa Sigma Fraternity for alleged alcohol violations following a weekend incident.
Dean of students Thomas Bourgeois said the investigation could be finished by the end of the week.
"We've done a substantial amount of legwork, but we're still in investigative mode," he said. "Once we determine what or if any violations occurred, there could be sanctions for the fraternity and individual members."
Friday night, MSU Police officers responded to multiple incidents at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. At 7:17 p.m., a student reported having trouble breathing at the fraternity house and was transported to Oktibbeha County Hospital. At 9:53 p.m., MSU Police officers responded to reports of an unresponsive student who was later transported to the hospital.
MSU Police Department officials, Bourgeois and Vice president for student affairs Bill Kibler declined to elaborate on the specifics of the investigation. . . .

. . . Mitchell Wilson, executive director of the Kappa Sigma national fraternity office, said he was alerted to the investigation Monday.
"We are in the process of investigating this as well," he said. "We're working with the university and asking our officials to investigate the reports. I can't really say it's one particular thing we're looking at; we're trying to figure out what the facts are and what occurred."

[exlurker]

Update September 25 '09: Mississippi State U Puts Kappa Sigma on Probation

Station WKRG (CBS affiliate) reports:
http://www.wkrg.com/raw_news/article...-2009_3-46-pm/

Excerpt:
Starkville, Mississippi - Kappa Sigma fraternity at Mississippi State University has been placed on probation until May 15, 2010, for violating campus alcohol rules.
The action comes after an investigation into a Sept. 18 party at the fraternity house. . . .

The campus paper also reports:
http://media.www.reflector-online.co...-3783492.shtml

[Ghostwriter]

It would not surprise me in the least if Kappa Sigma National didn't "lower the boom" on this chapter. National has a habit of doing so. At least they owned up to their transgressions. That will help them somewhat.

I would not want the be the members who have to go before the Exec Committee on this one. Yikes!

[KSigkid]

I would just ask that if there are any Mississippi State Kappa Sigs on the board, that they not comment in this thread. Probably best not to add any fuel to the fire, so to speak.

[exlurker]

A Starkville, Mississippi news source reports that the Kappa Sigma chapter at Mississippi State has lost its charter. News about the alleged / reported action by Kappa Sigma HQ is at:

http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/c...iew/174971/60/

Excerpt:

. . . With regards to the local Kappa Sigma members, Kibler [Bill Kibler, MSU’s vice president of student affairs] did say MSU officials were working to “minimize the impact on them as students,” but again would not disclose information on the fraternity’s status with its national organization . . . .

See also the article in the student paper:

http://media.www.reflector-online.co...799496.shtml#5

[Ghostwriter]

I wish them well but they have an up hill battle. Kappa Sig National has a habit of shutting down chapters who pay no attention to the alcohol rules that every chapter is aware of and has been counseled about. This is an example of a chapter that may have pushed the risk management envelope little too far. If I am not mistaken they had recently received their charter back or had come off probation with National.

I hope they can convince the SEC to place them on probation instead of shutting them down. They historically have been very very good. I just wonder where the Alumni Advisors were for this chapter. Were they giving them the right/or any advice and guidance?

[exlurker]

Update: Chapter Will Appeal Charter Revocation

See: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3684

Excerpts from article:

. . . Mississippi State’s Kappa Sigma chapter has submitted a request to appeal the charter revocation. The revocation will be placed on the agenda for the Supreme Executive Committee’s January meeting in Los Angeles, . . . .

The meeting and presentation will take place the weekend of Jan. 30, 2010, he said. The MSU chapter could appeal the revocation or request a lesser sanction. . . .



Update Feb. 16, 2010

See full article at

http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/c...iew/200137/60/

Excerpts from article:

. . . Mississippi State fraternity that saw its national charter revoked back in the fall could [see]their chapter re-established as early as the 2010 fall semester.

Undergraduate and alumni members from MSU’s former Kappa Sigma chapter appealed to the national fraternity’s Supreme Executive Committee — its board of directors — at its winter meeting Jan. 30 in Los Angeles, Calif., and the Committee decided to conduct a membership review sometime this spring, said Mic Wilson, the fraternity’s national executive director, in a statement Monday.

The MSU Kappa Sigma chapter saw its charter revoked on Oct. 9, 2009, by members of the fraternity’s national staff in the aftermath of a university probe stemming from a September 2009 incident at the fraternity’s chapter house in which members admitted to violating campus alcohol policies.
MSU officials placed the fraternity on probation for the remainder of the current academic year and required its 100 members to meet several terms in order to remain sanctioned as a student organization. *

After conducting their own investigation, Kappa Sigma’s national officers, however, imposed the harsher penalty of revoking the chapter’s charter, granting the MSU members 30 days to appeal the decision, which they did in early November.

With the membership review, Wilson said a team of volunteer officers from various positions and geographical locations within the fraternity will make a visit to the Mississippi State campus “in the near future” to evaluate whether the MSU members should be allowed re-colonize . . . .