ReportWire

Tag: fraternities

  • Charges dismissed against fraternity members accused of setting pledge on fire

    [ad_1]

    A gavel. (File photo courtesy of UC Berkeley Law)

    Criminal cases have been dismissed against fraternity members who were charged with intentionally setting one of the defendants on fire during a skit.

    Prosecutors charged the four members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity following a party last year that involved lighting a fraternity pledge’s clothes on fire. The act left the pledge with third-degree burns.

    The San Diego State University students initially faced felony charges that included recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, but a judge reduced the charges to misdemeanors earlier this year.

    Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring granted misdemeanor diversion for three of the students, which allows defendants to have their cases dismissed if they complete certain conditions.

    He did so Tuesday after determining the defendants had completed a number of conditions that included volunteer work and maintaining full-time employment or school attendance. The defendant who set the fire was also required to take a fire safety course.

    The student who was burned did not have to complete a diversion program for his case to be dismissed.

    A District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said the dismissals and the granting of misdemeanor diversion occurred over the prosecution’s objections.

    Lars Larsen, the student who was set on fire, filed a lawsuit earlier this year against the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, the California State University system and two of his co-defendants in the criminal case, among others.

    Larsen alleges in his complaint that after the skit, his fellow fraternity members provided “inadequate first aid” by putting him inside a shower, wrapping him in an aluminum blanket and waiting around three hours before contacting emergency personnel.

    Afterward, the fraternity members allegedly instructed others to delete videos or group chats regarding the incident.

    The complaint states Larsen suffered burns to his legs and back that required skin grafts and long-term treatment for scarring and neuropathy.

    At the time of the incident, the fraternity was on probation in connection with other hazing-related incidents and Larsen claims San Diego State failed to monitor the its activities and enforce sanctions. The lawsuit also alleges SDSU “has a longstanding and well-documented history of dangerous fraternity-related conduct” and cited the 2019 death of Dylan Hernandez, who consumed alcohol at a pledge party, then later fell from the top bunk of his dorm room bed and struck his head.

    A hearing in the civil case is scheduled for later this month.


    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • U.Md. lifts suspension on 32 fraternities, sororities, 5 remain under investigation – WTOP News

    U.Md. lifts suspension on 32 fraternities, sororities, 5 remain under investigation – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Four fraternities at the University of Maryland have filed a lawsuit against the university and officials for the suspension of Greek activity on campus, calling the suspension a freedom of speech violation.

    The University of Maryland has lifted the suspension of fraternity and sorority activity on campus for 32 chapters, clearing them to return to normal activities, the university announced Friday evening.

    “Effective immediately, we are lifting the temporary pause on new member and alcohol-related activities, and related no-contact orders which the university issued on March 1, 2024. Thirty-two IFC and PHA chapters are cleared to return to normal activities,” the university said in a statement.

    Five chapters remain under investigation “as a result of evidence suggesting involvement in hazing or other incidents that threatened the health and safety of our campus community,” the statement read.

    The school did not name the chapters it’s still investigating. WTOP has reached out to the school for the chapters it’s still investigating.

    The university released a list of chapters cleared to return to normal activities, which includes all 16 sororities affiliated with the Panhellenic Association. There are five fraternities listed on U.Md’s Interfraternity Council website that do not appear on the list of fraternities cleared by the school.

    Those fraternities are listed below:

    • Kappa Alpha Order
    • Lambda Chi Alpha
    • Phi Sigma Kappa
    • Sigma Nu
    • Zeta Beta Tau

    The five chapters that haven’t been cleared will continue to be subject to limited restrictions on their activities, according to the university, which added that individual students will also be referred to the Office of Student Conduct for potential violations of the Code of Student Conduct.

    Earlier this week, four fraternities filed a lawsuit against the university, saying the recent suspension of fraternity and sorority activity on the campus violates the groups’ freedom of speech and that an investigation into reportedly unsafe activities is unlawful.

    The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, represents three “John Does” who belong to fraternities on campus and asks for an injunction from the federal court for the District of Maryland that would immediately end the university’s suspension. It also asks for the court to declare that the suspension is unconstitutional and put a temporary restraining order in place against the university president and student affairs leadership, according to court documents.

    University officials sent a letter to fraternity and sorority presidents informing them of a suspension for misconduct on March 1. They did not describe the alleged misconduct as hazing but instead referred to “activities that have threatened the safety and well-being of members of the University community.”

    The suspension applies to all organizations affiliated with the College Park campus’ Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council, which represent 21 fraternities and 16 sororities.

    Fraternities and sororities are barred from any contact with new or prospective members, and barred from hosting any events where alcohol is present, according to the letter.

    The letter said the suspension will be in place indefinitely while the investigation took place.

    The lawsuit states that this suspension not only restrained students’ free speech and freedom of association, but that the university was breaking their own Code of Student Conduct.

    The code says students accused of misconduct must be notified “of the allegations and specific policies they are alleged to have violated,” have access to the evidence of their misconduct and have an opportunity to respond.

    The lawsuit alleges that none of these actions were taken and students have been under “unconstitutional restraint” indefinitely during the university’s investigation.

    Wynn Smiley, a spokesperson for the Fraternity Forward Coalition, called the university’s investigation “outrageous” in an interview with NBC Washington.

    “I’ve never seen a host institution behave in this manner,” he said. “This is egregious behavior.”

    According to NBC Washington, a spokesperson says the school expects to update its campus community Friday on the status of the investigation.

    The University of Maryland and Office of the President did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    A federal judge will hear the request for the restraining order on Monday.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Thomas Robertson

    Source link

  • ‘No single or specific incident’ led to U. Md. suspension of fraternity, sorority activities – WTOP News

    ‘No single or specific incident’ led to U. Md. suspension of fraternity, sorority activities – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    The University of Maryland said “no single or specific incident” prompted last Friday’s order to fraternities and sororities on campus to suspend social and recruitment activities, after receiving several reports of unsafe activities.

    The University of Maryland said “no single or specific incident” prompted last Friday’s order to fraternities and sororities on campus to suspend social and recruitment activities, after receiving several reports of unsafe activities.

    In a statement released Monday evening, the university said “Our decision to suspend new member and alcohol-related activities was made after careful consideration of reports, observations and data-driven analysis of behaviors that we felt posed a threat to the safety and well-being of some members of our community.”

    The school has not specified what misconduct led to the suspension of Greek activities involving alcohol, as well as any communication with potential new members.

    “No single or specific incident led to this decision. Our decision was made to prevent such a significant incident,” according to the university.

    A letter sent Friday from university officials to fraternity and sorority presidents informing them of the suspension referred to “activities that have threatened the safety and well-being of members of the University community.”

    The letter included in capital letters that members of the Greek organizations “are to have absolutely NO CONTACT with any new member or prospective new member,” during the investigation.

    “Any attempts to coordinate responses, deceive investigators, or provide false information to University officials will be pursued for the appropriate disciplinary action,” according to the Friday letter to the sorority and fraternity groups.

    The suspension applies to all organizations affiliated with the College Park campus’ Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council, which represent 21 fraternities and 16 sororities, respectively.

    Monday’s statement suggested the school intends to hire or retain an outside group, while it continues to gather facts.

    “We plan to engage an external resource to assist with an investigation that moves as quickly as possible, and we aim to stay in close coordination with chapter and council presidents, as well as national organizations and Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life advisors. We are also actively identifying the best ways to communicate with fraternity and sorority alumni now and in the future.”

    The action at Maryland comes just days after the University of Virginia suspended its Kappa Sigma chapter after an alleged hazing incident Feb. 21.

    The university’s Interfraternity Council also imposed a three-week suspension on all fraternity-sponsored social events “as a commitment to anti-hazing efforts and out of respect for the ongoing situation.”

    News outlets reported the Kappa Sigma chapter at Virginia was suspended after a pledge who had been drinking heavily fell down a staircase and hit his head, leading to his hospitalization.

    In Virginia, the 2021 death of Virginia Commonwealth University student Adam Oakes after a fraternity hazing incident resulted in passage of anti-hazing legislation and a nearly $1 million settlement payment from the university to Oakes’ family.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Neal Augenstein

    Source link

  • Will Ferrell Crashes Frat Party At His College Alma Mater

    Will Ferrell Crashes Frat Party At His College Alma Mater

    [ad_1]

    Will Ferrell embraced his inner frat boy at USC over the weekend.

    Pulling a move straight from his 2003 hit, “Old School,” the “SNL” alum returned to his alma mater, the University of Southern California, for a bit of partying on Saturday.

    In TikTok videos posted by the user lupetwins8803, Ferrell donned dark sunglasses and his finest USC swag while DJing a rager at the school’s Sigma Alpha Mu frat house, his former fraternity.

    Despite graduating with a B.A. in sports information in 1990, the “Barbie” star looked like he fit right in with the balcony of beaming undergrads.

    He got the kids going with Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “N***** in Paris” before amping things up with classic jock-jam “Eye of the Tiger” in another video.

    Ferrell was likely in town for USC Family Weekend, which included a big football game against the University of Arizona Wildcats on Saturday.

    Big fans of cardinal red and gold, the actor’s family boasts two generations of Trojans.

    Ferrell’s oldest son, Magnus Ferrell, is a freshman at USC. The comic shares two younger sons, Axel and Mattias, with wife Viveca Paulin.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Black Fraternity Moves Florida Convention Because Of Ron DeSantis

    Black Fraternity Moves Florida Convention Because Of Ron DeSantis

    [ad_1]

    Alpha Phi Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black fraternity, said it will no longer hold its 2025 convention in Orlando, making it the latest group to switch venues out of disdain for policies implemented by Florida’s hard-right Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.

    The convention drain, reported by local news outlets, comes as the state economy is still heavily dependent on tourism.

    Willis L. Lonzer III, the fraternity’s president, said in a Wednesday statement that DeSantis had set in place “harmful, racist and insensitive policies against the Black community.”

    Just last week, the governor announced that Florida schoolchildren would be taught that the institution of slavery contained benefits for Black people, drawing instant and widespread condemnation. The Florida Department of Education sought to defend itself with a list of Black people who supposedly developed “highly specialized trades from which they benefitted” during their time in bondage, but critics pointed out the list was highly inaccurate.

    As a 2024 presidential candidate, DeSantis has ramped up his war on what he calls “wokeness” in schools, outlawing discussion of LGBTQ+ people in more classrooms and barring public colleges from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. That’s in addition to new policies that dilute the Black vote, penalize immigrant workers, severely restrict abortion care and attack Disney, one of the state’s largest employers.

    Earlier this year, the NAACP issued a travel alert for Florida, warning Black travelers that it was an “openly hostile” place.

    “In this environment of manufactured division and attacks on the Black community,” Lonzer said, “Alpha Phi Alpha refuses to direct a projected $4.6 million convention economic impact to a place hostile to the communities we serve.”

    Alpha Phi Alpha alumni include civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., writer W.E.B. DuBois and Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to sit on the Supreme Court.

    At least a dozen organizations have said they are also pulling planned conventions out of Florida in response to the political climate, according to local news media. Among them are the National Society of Black Engineers; the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association; the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs; the Supreme Council of America’s Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite Masons; and a “Game of Thrones” convention dubbed Con of Thrones.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Cornell Suspends All Fraternity Events After Alleged Sex Assault, Druggings

    Cornell Suspends All Fraternity Events After Alleged Sex Assault, Druggings

    [ad_1]

    Cornell University announced it has suspended all fraternity parties and social events after authorities said a student was sexually assaulted and at least four others were drugged while attending social events at off-campus fraternity houses.

    The Ivy League school, whose main campus is in Ithaca, New York, announced the suspension Monday following what police said has been a string of drug-related incidents between Sept. 24 and Thursday, Nov. 3.

    The alleged sexual assault occurred sometime early Sunday, police said. It’s not clear whether the incident is believed to be connected to the earlier events.

    The “students reported to have consumed little to no alcohol at an off-campus location but became incapacitated while attending parties,” Cornell University Police said Friday of the alleged druggings.

    The affected students told police they were exposed to the drug Rohypnol, which is a sedative that’s commonly known as “roofies” or the “date rape drug.”

    The decision to suspend all events follows an emergency meeting Sunday between university staff and the Interfraternity Council (IFC), which governs all IFC-recognized fraternities at Cornell, the school’s president, Martha E. Pollack, and the school’s vice president of student and campus life, Ryan Lombardi, said in a letter to students.

    “No IFC-affiliated social events will resume until student leaders and Cornell staff are confident activities can take place responsibly and safely,” they said.

    A Cornell representative told HuffPost Tuesday that it had no further information to share about the suspension. The Ithaca Police Department, which is investigating the recent incidents, did not immediately respond to questions.

    Cornell, like many schools across the country, has long battled incidents of sexual assault and hazing.

    The school in 2018 announced new anti-hazing policies for Greek life after a number of hazing-related issues, including the 2011 death of a sophomore from alcohol poisoning.

    These changes included a three-year suspension for Greek life chapters found to have committed coerced alcohol or other drug consumption, sexual and related misconduct, or other forms of violence or mentally abusive behavior that poses a threat to health and safety.

    [ad_2]

    Source link