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UAlbany Reiterates Stance On Fraternities And Sororities

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Saying it has confronted serious misconduct by fraternities and sororities, the University at Albany is reminding students of its stance regarding a number of campus groups. In a letter Friday, the school detailed 12 fraternities and sororities that are no longer recognized by UAlbany.

According to a letter from UAlbany's Vice President for Student Affairs Michael N. Christakis to students, school leaders have suspended two fraternities until further notice and have prohibited multiple organizations from taking on new members this semester. Over the past six years, UAlbany says more than 80 students have violated the university’s student code of conduct for hazing or from being affiliated or attempting to affiliate with an unrecognized organization. The school says more than 30 of those students were suspended or dismissed.

You can read Christakis' letter below:

Each year, fraternities and sororities contribute tremendously to the UAlbany community and beyond through community service, academic achievement and peer mentoring. Members of these Greek letter organizations have served this University as Student Association presidents and in countless other leadership positions that provide crucial support and guidance to their fellow students, and their alumni often become some of UAlbany’s best ambassadors.

Despite these contributions, however, our University has continued in recent years to confront serious misconduct by both recognized and unrecognized fraternities and sororities that poses a direct threat to the health, safety and well-being of our community. I am writing you today to re-state in the clearest and strongest terms possible that this kind of misconduct will not be tolerated and will be met with the most serious disciplinary sanctions available to the University, up to and including dismissal/expulsion.

UAlbany is not alone in its efforts to combat hazing, alcohol-related misconduct and unrecognized group affiliation. These activities have unfortunately become too common among Greek letter organizations on campuses across the nation. Despite UAlbany’s efforts to provide increased training and education, enhanced off-campus programming and our adherence to a zero-tolerance policy for hazing, my office continues to receive troubling reports of unacceptable, high-risk behavior by many recognized and unrecognized organizations. In the past six academic years, more than 80 students have been found to have violated the University’s student code of conduct for hazing and/or for being affiliated, or attempting to affiliate, with an unrecognized organization. More than 30 of them were suspended or dismissed as a result.

Consider this letter formal notice of the following:

These groups are prohibited from taking new members (i.e. new member intake, pledging, initiating) during the Fall 2018 semester:

All InterFraternity Council (IFC) organizations
Theta Delta Chi Fraternity (IFC)
Kappa Sigma Fraternity (IFC)
Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity (IFC) 
Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority
Alpha Xi Delta Women’s Fraternity
Delta Delta Sigma Sorority
Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority 
Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity

These groups are suspended until further notice and not authorized to engage in any activities including but not limited to taking new members (i.e. new member intake, pledging, initiating) in the Fall 2018 semester:

Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity (IFC)
Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity (IFC)***

Due to health and safety concerns and/or violations of University policy, the following organizations are no longer recognized or affiliated in any way with the University; seeking recognition and/or; currently eligible to be re-recognized by the University. Any student joining these organizations could be immediately removed from the University (temporarily suspended) and formally referred through the student conduct process. If a student is found to have violated the student code of conduct on charges connected to this behavior, they will be disciplinarily suspended or dismissed/expelled:

Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity (SAM/Sammy)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (SAE)
Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity (Alpha Sig)
Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi/APES)
Pi Delta Psi Fraternity (Pi’s)
Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (TKE)
Sigma Delta Tau Sorority (SDT/SxS)
Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority (AOPi)
Alpha Phi Sorority (Alph)
Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity (PiKap)
Sigma Chi Epsilon Fraternity (SigEp)
Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity (ZBT)

Recognized Greek letter organizations as well as unrecognized groups that engage in demeaning, coercive and dangerous activities know full well that they are jeopardizing the health and safety of the same students they claim as brothers and sisters. That they continue to do so anyway shows their total disregard for the collective responsibility we all share to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community. I call on all of us -- students, staff, faculty, parents – to demand that all of our Greek letter organizations live up to their long legacy of positive contributions to this campus. As such, I ask for your help in holding accountable those who cavalierly behave in ways that are reckless, dangerous, illegal and so utterly at odds with our core values at UAlbany.

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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