All other fraternities have been approved to again host recruitment events and all but three have been approved to have new member activities again. Ohio State has also approved 27 to begin hosting social gatherings again, according to its website.
Fraternities were required to submit organization plans before they could be approved to conduct chapter activities again.
“We are very pleased with the response from the IFC chapters and their national organizations,” said Dave Isaacs, spokesman for OSU student life. “The fact that so many have submitted their plans for moving forward encourages us.”
In a letter to Interfraternity Council presidents on Nov. 16, OSU senior director of sorority and fraternity life Ryan Lovell suspended activities until further notice. The “proactive step” was taken so that the interfraternity council community can take “a pause to reflect.”
There were 11 fraternity chapters under investigation during fall semester for possible violations of the Ohio State code of student conduct, which at the time Lovell called “deeply troubling.”
“This is an unacceptably high number, and the university will not tolerate behavior that puts the health and safety of students at risk,” Lovell said in the November letter.
In January, Ohio State suspended its Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter for three years after an investigation found violations of the student code of conduct had occurred. The investigation found the chapter was guilty of hazing, endangering behavior and improper use of alcohol, an OSU spokesman said last month.
A report by this news organization in December found that several other area universities had suspended fraternities for bad behavior in recent years. But, officials at every area university said they had no plans on implementing a campus-wide suspension on fraternities as Ohio State had done.
About the Author