UNT looses Univ Recognition...

[lifesaver]

Please see the story from the Dallas Morning News below. I am sure in accordance with GF policy, will result in a closing of the chapter....


It's last call at UNT fraternities <<...>> Officials cite 'culture' of
drinking for ban; students wanted input 11/01/2002 By JOSHUA BENTON / The
Dallas Morning News Animal House at the University of North Texas just got
tamed. Officials have banned alcohol from all common areas of the
university's seven fraternity houses because of a rise in underage drinking.


In addition, UNT announced Thursday that it was suspending the local chapter
of Lambda Chi Alpha for the rest of the school year because of a hazing
incident involving underage drinking.

"We just finally realized that a culture was formulating that was not a
healthy environment for our students," said Bonita Jacobs, UNT's vice
president for student development. "We very much needed to get their
attention."

Consider them attentive.



"People are upset," said Nick Carter, vice president of UNT's
Interfraternity Council. "I don't think underage drinking is any worse in
the houses than in the college as a whole."

The policy says that fraternity members older than 21 may drink alcohol in
their rooms. But drinking in the halls, dens or any other common area is
banned.

Dr. Jacobs said that the ban is temporary and that if fraternities show a
commitment to improved behavior, drinking might be allowed back within a
year.

The university was pressed into action by a marked increase in the number of
underage drinking incidents. So far this semester, six of the 10
fraternities have faced university charges for violations of alcohol policy.
In previous years, typically only one or two fraternities would be facing
such charges at this point, Dr. Jacobs said.

"We've been keeping an eye on it all semester, and it was getting worse,"
she said.

She said the campus' Greek groups had made significant progress in recent
years toward a more controlled atmosphere, but that "something changed in
the culture this year."

One of the six fraternities accused this semester is Lambda Chi Alpha. The
university said the group violated a number of school policies, including
those on hazing, public intoxication and intimidation, and unspecified state
laws. It's the third fraternity suspended by UNT since April 2000.

Lambda Chi Alpha members could not be reached Thursday. A phone number
listed for the chapter has been disconnected.

During the last decade, a number of hazing- and alcohol-related incidents on
campuses nationwide have led to a backlash against the excesses of Greek
life. Some universities have banned fraternities and sororities; others have
insisted that their houses be completely dry.

"Everyone is concerned about the risk management that goes on in the
houses," said Stephen Hirst, Texas Tech University's fraternity adviser.

Dry by choice



Fraternities often have been willing to go along with stricter rules.
Several national fraternities demand that their chapter houses be
alcohol-free, and several of the UNT houses are dry by choice. "We want
other people to take pride in our houses as much as we do," Mr. Carter said.
"So we've all been becoming more politically correct, you could say."

The new policy applies only to members of the Interfraternity Council, which
includes the school's 10 historically white fraternities. It does not apply
to the campus' sororities or its historically black or Latino Greek
organizations, in part because none of those groups have houses of their
own.

Only seven of the 10 IFC fraternities have houses, meaning the policy's
impact will be minimal on the other three.

Historically, universities have had a stronger hand in regulating on-campus
fraternities than those with houses not on university property. But the new
policy applies equally to the five on-campus frats and the two off campus.

The university also announced that fraternities may still hold events with
alcohol at places other than their houses, but only if they hire a third
party such as a bar to serve the alcohol and check IDs.

Mr. Carter said that fraternity members were concerned less by the new
policies than by how they were imposed.

"It's the fact it was handed down to us without our input," he said.

He said that the fraternity council is not informed when alcohol-related
allegations are made against members, meaning the group cannot be proactive
in fixing the problem.

What's next



The next step will be an evaluation of the existing rules governing
fraternity parties to determine if they're strict enough. Already, many
fraternity events must be approved by university officials, including
advance submission of a guest list, designated drivers, and someone to check
students' identification. "I don't think it will be a lot of new rules and
regulations as much as making sure they follow the rules already in place,"
Dr. Jacobs said.

In January, UNT plans a "leadership summit" with local, alumni, and national
representatives of all the campus fraternities. Dr. Jacobs said she didn't
want to estimate when drinking might return to the houses, but she said she
hoped it would be measured "in months, not years."

[Tom Earp]

Bum Out!

But if the Chapter kept refusing to at least show a semblence of the rules, there would not have been a problem but to throw it up in the faces of the ones whom have power over you is stupid!

[JonoBN41]

Lifesaver,

Thanks for the info. I have forwarded it on to our chapter's listserver. I hope the term 'hazing' was only a misinterpretation on the part of the writer.

ZAX,
Jono

[texas*princess]

Sorry to crash your boards, but I thought the following links might be helpful for you guys from our UNT paper about the LXA incidents... they have also been given a second chance.. that is the second article listed. Hope this helps.

http://www.ntdaily.com/vnews/display...5?in_archive=1

Lambda Chi Alpha suspended until May

Victoria Healy
Staff Writer
November 01, 2002

The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity has been suspended through May 2003 for violating the sections of the student code of conduct.
The sections involve hazing, public intoxication, intimidation, furnishing false or misleading information, violating university policy and violating state, civil or criminal law.

"The thing that is encouraging about Lambda Chi Alpha is that we have been able to work very closely with the Lambda Chi national headquarters," Dr. Bonita Jacobs, vice president for Student Development, said.

Brad Arnold, president of the Intrafraternity Council, said anytime there is an investigation of this kind the university contacts the national headquarters in an attempt to maintain an open line of communication.

Jacobs said the chapter was already on probation.

"The problem has to do with a continuation of problems more than anything else," Jacobs said.

This will be the third suspension of a social fraternity on campus since April 2000. It follows the suspension of Theta Chi in April of 2000 and Kappa Alpha Order in February 2001.

With these suspensions taking place the Student Development office has created stricter codes of conduct for social fraternities.

"We had allegations of alcohol consumption for six of the 10 social fraternities on campus," Jacobs said.

The national headquarters could not be reached for comment, and the former chapter president Lucas Miller refused to comment. The Interfraternity Council was told of the investigation.

"All we were told was that they were temporarily suspended until an investigation could be completed," Arnold said.

The chapter members have the option of going through a risk management program during the year and a half of the suspension.

These types of programs are offered by the Interfraternity Council as often as possible, Arnold said.

He said each fraternity has a risk management chairman who meets weekly with a council member of the same chair to discuss issues and ideas.

"We've established several committees to work on problems," Arnold said.

If Lambda Chi Alpha members choose, they can petition the university to return to campus after completing the suspension, Jacobs said.

======================
http://www.ntdaily.com/vnews/display...c?in_archive=1

Fraternity gets one more chance

Sean Jamison
Staff Writer
November 14, 2002


Lambda Chi Alpha must meet demands to keep house

The recent Lambda Chi Alpha suspension marked the third fraternity suspension at NT in the past four years.

However, unlike the prior two, members of Lambda Chi Alpha will still have an opportunity to keep their house if demands of the university and the National Greek Council are met.

"We have been working with [Lambda Chi Alpha's] nationals and trying to figure out a way that we can try to salvage any portion of the chapter," Dr. Bonita Jacobs, vice president for student development, said.

"That will only work if their membership will be following the rules of the nationals and the rules of the university."

The suspension, which allowed members of the fraternity to keep their house, is the first of its kind in university history.

Among other requirements, the fraternity will have to hire a live-in monitor approved by both the alumni board and the university.

Lambda Chi Alpha will also be suspended from attending or hosting any events and pursuing any form of member recruitment, Jacobs said.

In addition, the Alumni Control Board will appoint all positions of leadership within the fraternity, and 1,500 hours of combined community service and educational programming will be imposed upon the fraternity as a whole, averaging out to nearly 15 hours per member.

If the requirements are met by May of 2003, the suspension will be lifted on the fraternity and the chapter will resume its previous status in the fall.

Jacobs said the fraternity was not given as harsh of a sentence as other suspended fraternities because their violations were not as numerous or severe.

"We will always take the pervasiveness and severity of the actions into account when making disciplinary decisions," she said.

Lucas Miller, chief officer of Lambda Chi Alpha, said the suspension was unfortunate but would hopefully be a learning experience for other members.

"Hopefully we'll come back in September with a clean slate," Miller, Joshua senior, said.

Lambda Chi Alpha was placed on suspension two weeks ago after violating alcohol laws, which they were already placed on probation for in 2001.

All alcohol will be banned at the house as a result of the disciplinary action

[lumpchop1283]

I am a brother at the Iota Zeta Zeta chapter at UNT. It is true that the school tried to kick us off campus. They wanted to give us the same "Death Penalty" they gave KAs and Theta Chi which is suspension for 7 years, but through the hard work of our president and High Pi, we are still on campus(at least we still have our house) although not offically recgonized by the university. That only means that we could not participate in Intramurals(which is good because it gave other fraternities a chance to finally win) and greek week( which is good because it is a joke at this school). The best part about the suspension is it gave us a chance to "clean house" We got into a bad system of initiating guys who only cared about wearing the letters, and nothing else. As soon as the shit hit the fan they hit the road and that is good because now we are down to the bare esstential brothers who will do anything to keep this chapter here. Our suspension is as followed:

1000 hours community service
500 hours educational learning
nationals came down and did a serious membership review
officers were picked by nationals.
other stupid sanctions


I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT WE AT IZZ HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED EVERYTHING AND WILL BE BACK TO REGAIN OUR CROWN IN FALL 03.

[Tom Earp]

lumpchop and texas*princess,

thank you both for the update!

This gets to be so much BS that it gets sickening.

Kids drinking when it comes to underage drinking is not hazing, unless it is forced! Period!

It sounds like squeeky clean is the call for the day!!

[Cube TX]

Holy crap! Have you seen the website for the UNT chapter? Now THAT is what I call a website! Good job to whoever it was who took the time to do this one!

http://orgs.unt.edu/lca/