"Years of bad behavior by students in fraternities and sororities are threatening the future of the Greek system at Penn State University.
The school's president wrote an open letter to slam behavior including alcohol abuse, hazing and sexual assault. The school has faced intense scrutiny since February when sophomore Timothy Piazza died after a fraternity party accident.
In an open letter posted online Monday, Penn State president Dr. Eric Barron said despite the guidelines, “nine of the university’s 82 fraternities and sororities” broke rules during parents weekend. There are signs that the “bad behavior will not end with our rules” and will “just go underground,” he wrote.
“Never in a million years are they going to close those fraternities down,” said Caitlin Flanagan, a contributing editor to The Atlantic.
“College presidents, they have almost no power. The fraternities are privately-owned organizations, they take place off campus in privately owned houses on privately held land,” Flanagan said."
According to Penn State, Greek life community members at the college are “four times more likely to be heavy drinkers” and sorority women are “50 percent more likely” to be “sexually assaulted.”
The school tightened up its party policy earlier this year by banning kegs and hard liquor at parties. It also started unannounced compliance checks, among other things.
In February, Piazza slipped down a flight of stairs while partying at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house and died two days later. Penn state banned the chapter after the incident.
In 2015, the fraternity Kappa Delta Rho received a three-year suspension for hazing, selling drugs, underage drinking and harassing women.
Fraternities, sororities could be banished at Penn State
The school's president wrote an open letter to slam behavior including alcohol abuse, hazing and sexual assault. The school has faced intense scrutiny since February when sophomore Timothy Piazza died after a fraternity party accident.
In an open letter posted online Monday, Penn State president Dr. Eric Barron said despite the guidelines, “nine of the university’s 82 fraternities and sororities” broke rules during parents weekend. There are signs that the “bad behavior will not end with our rules” and will “just go underground,” he wrote.
“Never in a million years are they going to close those fraternities down,” said Caitlin Flanagan, a contributing editor to The Atlantic.
“College presidents, they have almost no power. The fraternities are privately-owned organizations, they take place off campus in privately owned houses on privately held land,” Flanagan said."
According to Penn State, Greek life community members at the college are “four times more likely to be heavy drinkers” and sorority women are “50 percent more likely” to be “sexually assaulted.”
The school tightened up its party policy earlier this year by banning kegs and hard liquor at parties. It also started unannounced compliance checks, among other things.
In February, Piazza slipped down a flight of stairs while partying at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house and died two days later. Penn state banned the chapter after the incident.
In 2015, the fraternity Kappa Delta Rho received a three-year suspension for hazing, selling drugs, underage drinking and harassing women.
Fraternities, sororities could be banished at Penn State