President Mark B. Rosenberg shared the following message with the university community on Feb. 5, 2018:
It has been a month since all fraternity and sorority activities on our campuses were paused. This has been a time of much-needed reflection and an opportunity to recommit to our core values.
As part of the “Implementing a Transformational Fraternity & Sorority Life Culture Shift” plan, throughout January, our Greek community and university administrators reviewed and strengthened the policies and procedures to enhance safety and promote behavior that is consistent with FIU’s values and our Student Code of Conduct. We also held several chapter/council meetings, as well as workshops with chapter advisors and alumni. Each Greek organization that was eligible for reinstatement (32 of the 37 active chapters) was invited to submit a packet and give a presentation demonstrating that chapter leadership understood the role and responsibility of participating in fraternity and sorority life. Of those eligible, 19 successfully completed their reinstatement packets and were invited to make their presentations to the Fraternity & Sorority Life Reinstatement Committee.
Last Thursday evening, we held a town hall with our Greek community to discuss the current status of Greek life at FIU. We also shared the decisions we made over the past month, which included reinstating 16 of the 19 eligible Greek organizations, as well as announcing an alcohol ban for the rest of the semester.
Zero tolerance is our new normal!
Suspended Organizations
Tau Kappa Epsilon (Teke) and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) have been placed on suspension for two years. Pi Kappa Phi (Pi Kapp) has also been suspended; the length of their suspension is pending.
Last summer, Tau Kappa Epsilon was placed on interim suspension after alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct. After an investigation, no charges were issued and in September they were removed from interim suspension. However, additional information emerged and a follow-up investigation was conducted. Eight members of the chapter were found responsible for violations of the Student Code of Conduct. The organization was placed on interim suspension again in October for hosting a tailgate where a minor was served alcohol. As a result, in January, the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution issued a 2-year suspension from FIU. As with all Conduct cases, the chapter has the right to appeal the committee’s decision should they wish.
Phi Gamma Delta was placed on interim suspension in October 2017 for hosting an off-campus party where underage drinking occurred. In December, the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution issued FIJI a 2-year suspension from the university. The chapter appealed the decision, claiming due process violations and that the sanctions were too severe for the charge. The interim dean of students reviewed the appeal on February 1, 2018 and upheld the Conduct Committee’s decision. As a result, FIJI no longer is a recognized organization at FIU.
Pi Kappa Phi was placed on interim suspension in November 2017 due to hazing allegations. While that case was being investigated, Pi Kapp held an unregistered party at their chapter house in December. This was a violation of their interim suspension and they were immediately suspended by the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. The length of their suspension from the university is pending a Conduct Committee hearing/decision.
Reinstatement Decisions
The following chapters have been reinstated by the Fraternity & Sorority Life Reinstatement Committee:
Multicultural Greek Council (MGC)
- Lambda Theta Alpha
- Sigma Lambda Gamma
- Omega Phi Beta
- Sigma Beta Rho
- Phi Iota Alpha
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
- Iota Phi Theta
- Phi Beta Sigma
- Sigma Gamma Rho
Panhellenic Council (PC)
- Alpha Omicron Pi
- Delta Phi Epsilon
- Phi Mu
- Phi Sigma Sigma
- Sigma Kappa
Interfraternity Council (IFC)
- Delta Sigma Phi
- Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Zeta Beta Tau
As of Thursday evening, each of these organizations were allowed to resume normal activities, including recruitment, philanthropies and social events.
The pause of activities will continue for the remaining chapters. They will have an additional 30 days to submit and schedule their presentations to the Fraternity & Sorority Life Reinstatement Committee. The organizations will be notified of their status on Thursday, March 1.
If the packet and/or presentation are not approved by the committee, the pause will continue for these chapters until the end of the spring semester. The chapters will then have another opportunity to provide a final presentation during the first week of April. Please note that any chapter that is not reinstated at this time will no longer be recognized by Fraternity & Sorority Life.
Chapters already on interim suspension – Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Alpha Mu – will be provided a tailored reinstatement plan based on the findings from the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
Alcohol Ban
Effective immediately alcohol will not be permitted for any fraternity or sorority activities – including business, social, and philanthropic events (on or off campus) – until Friday, April 27.
Please note that all activities must still be registered with Fraternity & Sorority Life. Should a chapter violate registration procedures during the spring semester, they will no longer be a recognized organization by Fraternity & Sorority Life and will receive an immediate charge through the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
If a chapter is found in violation of the alcohol ban (at registered or unregistered activities) during the Spring 2018 semester, they will no longer be a recognized organization by Fraternity & Sorority Life and will immediately be placed on interim suspension through the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
Moving Forward
I want to thank the presidents of Panhellenic, Interfraternity, National Pan-Hellenic and Multicultural Greek councils and chapters for their hard work during the pause. Thank you as well to other Greek leaders, administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni who have contributed to the creation of an environment where the behavior of our students uplifts the community and provides a supportive culture of growth and tolerance.
Moving forward:
- Chapter presidents will continue to attend monthly workshops with Student Affairs where they will work on creating Greek community standards.
- On Thursday, March 8, I will host a workshop with Greek alumni.
- On Wednesday, June 6, the Board of Trustees will be presented with the new Student Code of Conduct for their approval. Prior to this presentation, we encourage everyone to review the proposed changes via fiu.edu, and submit feedback to codecomments@fiu.edu.
- In addition, before the Fall 2018 football season, a task force will be created to revisit our current tailgate policies.
I strongly believe that together, we can make change happen!
For updates on the Green pause, please click here.
If you have any questions, please contact Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Lunsford at Lunsford@fiu.edu.
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