Ball State and 13 fraternities signed a joint letter Wednesday that prevents the involved fraternities from hosting or co-hosting social events with or without alcohol for the next three months, university spokesperson Kathy Wolf said.
The fraternities involved will not be able to hold any social events, such as formals or parties, until Jan. 31, 2018. Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services Ro-Anne Royer Engle says the agreement will not affect recruitment efforts, philanthropy or brotherhood events.
The letter comes after a “trend or pattern” of behavior that is “unacceptable to the university,” Wolf said.
“We are making sure we take the right steps so that the fraternity members are consistent with the culture that Ball State would expect,” Wolf said.
The letter is a “collaborative effort” between the university and the 13 fraternities on the Interfraternity Council, Wolf said.
The fraternities on the Interfraternity Council are:
- Alpha Tau Omega
- Phi Gamma Delta
- Sigma Chi
- Delta Tau Delta
- Phi Kappa Psi
- Sigma Nu
- Lambda Chi Alpha
- Phi Sigma Kappa
- Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Phi Delta Theta
- Pi Kappa Phi
- Theta Chi
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon
During this “pause point,” the fraternity members will attend educational programs on topics such as sexual violence and alcohol use.
“In the interest of student safety — that is why we are pausing to stop and provide this education,” Wolf said.
At the end of the period, the university will assess the progress of the fraternities and provide “guidance and support” as needed, Wolf said.
When asked about the consequence of violating the joint letter, Wolf said she did not want to “speculate” and she has a “feeling [the fraternities] will follow it.”
When asked to elaborate on possible punishments, Wolf said they are not focused on that at this time.
"Our community was trending toward poor behavior and the University was proactive in stepping in to offer guidance," Chapter President of Pi Kappa Phi Mason Thomas said. "This is an opportunity for our community to learn and grow stronger in the coming months."
Interfraternity Council President Trevor Holland said this agreement is about "challenging the community" and said it is time to "embrace" their values.
"We're a community of values and in order to continue our legacy- change needs to happen," Holland said. "I know that our community will react and grow stronger because of the agreement with the University."
The Daily News reached out to Director of Greek Life Kari Murphy, but she has not returned emails or phone calls.
This story will be updated.
Contact Brynn Mechem with comments at bamechem@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @BrynnMechem. Contact Max Lewis with comments at lmaxwell2@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @MaxLewisReports.
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