Michelle Marchante/News Director
Ten out of 16 eligible Greek chapters met reinstatement criteria during the University’s second presentation period and will resume normal activity Thursday, March 1, according to an email sent out by President Mark B. Rosenberg.
The newly reinstated chapters are Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Sigma Lambda Beta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Upsilon, Phi Delta Theta and Theta Chi.
This brings the University’s reinstated Greek chapters up to 26 out of 37, with two chapters— Phi Gamma Delta and Tau Kappa Epsilon— suspended for a minimum of two years. FIJI will also no longer be recognized by the University. Three other chapters, as Student Media previously reported, were on interim suspension pending investigation.
Those investigations have now finished, according to the email.
One of the investigated chapters, Beta Theta Pi, has taken “full responsibility” for violating the Student Code of Conduct, according to the email, and will be on deferred suspension until Dec. 31, 2018. During this time they will be unable to hold social events or parties.
Once their deferred suspension is finished, they will then be on conduct probation until Dec. 31, 2019. Failure to abide by the Student Code of Conduct or other University policies could lead to the chapter being suspended or expelled.
However, Beta will be eligible to participate in the semester’s reinstatement process. Sigma Alpha Mu, another fraternity that was under investigation, is also eligible to participate in the reinstatement process this semester after being found “not responsible” by the Office of the Student Conduct and were taken off interim suspension on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
FIU will also no longer recognize Pi Kappa Phi, the final chapter that was pending investigation, according to the email. This decision comes after after Pi Kapp’s national headquarters sent a “cease and desist” notice to the chapter, suspending them for a minimum of two years.
The email also mentions that access to the Pi Kapp and FIJI campus houses will be restricted to “current residents, fraternity personnel, and authorized university administration” due to the status of the chapters, but that no decision has been made on the houses future. House residents will be allowed to remain until the end of the spring semester.
The final chance for chapter reinstatement will be April 2-6, as stated in the University’s “Implementing a Transformational Fraternity & Sorority Life Culture Shift” plan. Chapters not reinstated by the first week of April will no longer be recognized by the University.
Feature Image by Michelle Marchante/PantherNOW