UNIVERSITY PARK (WJAC) – Penn State University has permanently revoked recognition of Beta Theta Pi and banned the fraternity from ever returning as a chapter at the school, officials said Thursday.
The decision was made in the wake of the recent death of Penn State sophomore Timothy Piazza at the fraternity.
As Penn State’s student conduct investigation of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity continues, more facts have emerged, including a persistent pattern of serious alcohol abuse, hazing and the use and sale of illicit drugs, the university said.
“The university’s investigation has produced deeply disturbing evidence showing that Beta Theta Pi fell far short of its professed policies and values,” Damon Sims, vice president for student affairs, said in a statement.
“The serious violations we have found include forced drinking, mandatory hazing and other illegal activity, which combine with a student’s tragic death to lead us to conclude that Beta Theta Pi, despite its notable history at Penn State, merits no continuing place in our community.”
In light of the continuing investigation of Beta Theta Pi and growing evidence of problems within the university’s Greek-letter community, Penn State also said Thursday that it will impose new aggressive measures on the groups in exchange for recognition.
Penn State officials said research shows that fraternity and sorority members are four times more likely than the general student population to be heavy drinkers; sorority women are 50 percent more likely than other female students to be sexually assaulted; and fraternity men are 62 percent more likely to commit a sexual assault than non-fraternity men.
“Fraternities and sororities are private membership organizations, and our fraternities often exist in private residences off campus,” Sims said. “Our ability to influence outcomes among these young adults is profoundly limited, yet the university’s recognition is vital to all of these organizations, and their success as safe, healthy, constructive and sustainable enterprises is equally important to us.
“However, we no longer believe that vesting so much responsibility in the self-governance of these groups will produce positive outcomes. Today, Penn State is drawing a line and imposing critical changes. Enough is enough.”
In order to sustain recognition, organizations must adhere to the following changes for the coming academic year, Penn State officials said:
Formal recruitment of new fraternity and sorority members, also known as rush, will be deferred from fall to spring semester for fraternities and sororities in the 2017-18 academic year. Requirements for students to participate in recruitment thereafter will include completion of at least 12 credits while enrolled full time. In consultation with various constituents in the Penn State Greek-letter community and their national organizations, other requirements and the possibility of deferring rush until a student’s sophomore year will be considered for 2018-19. Further discussion about the size of new membership classes within the organizations will be part of an ongoing review.
New social restrictions will include a strongly enforced prohibition against underage possession or consumption of alcohol in chapter houses and activities. Service of alcohol at social events must follow Pennsylvania law, limited to those 21 or older, and must be distributed by RAMP-trained servers only, though third-party, licensed RAMP certified servers are preferred. Only beer and wine may be served, and kegs will not be permitted.
Attendance at social events will be limited to the legal capacity of the chapter house. No daylong events will be allowed, and no more than 10 socials with alcohol per semester will be permitted for each chapter, a reduction from the current limit of 45, which was established by Penn State’s Interfraternity Council.
Failure by the Greek-letter organizations to effectively prevent underage consumption and excessive drinking in their facilities and activities may lead the university to adopt further restrictions, including the possibility of declaring that the system must be completely dry.
The social restrictions will be enforced by a new monitoring protocol that will use both third parties and a combination of student leadership and university staff. When they are discovered, any violations of the expectations will result in appropriate and significant disciplinary action.
There will be no tolerance for hazing in the organizations, as all hazing is a violation of Pennsylvania law. Hazing that involves alcohol or serious physical abuse will likely lead to loss of university recognition. Increased educational programming focused on preventing hazing will be mandatory for all chapter members.
Penn State Interfraternity Council President Dean Vetere issued a statement on the decision:
"The health and safety of the Penn State community is the Interfraternity Council’s top priority," he said. "We are ready to address critical issues in our community head on, but we don’t accept that restricting students’ basic right to choose when they join an organization is an effective way to build partnership to achieve significant change.
"We are deeply disappointed the university administration did not follow through on its promise to engage students before making critical decisions. The best way to create authentic, lasting change is for all stakeholders to collaborate on the development and enforcement of meaningful standards.
"We stand united in creating a safe Penn State community as we contemplate our next steps."
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