On January 27, 2015 a disciplinary conference was held
to adjudicate the charges below:
Respect for Others (General) Lehigh University expects
that all students will act in a civil manner that reflects maturity, social
responsibility, and respect towards others and the Lehigh Community.
Respect for Others B1 (Harassment) Violation of the in
the Lehigh University Policy on Harassment.
Respect for Community J1 (Encouraging Others)
Encouraging or facilitating others in actions that violate the Code of Conduct.
Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized Consumption,
Distribution, or Possession) The unauthorized or illegal consumption,
distribution, or possession of alcohol.
The incident these charges were related to is
described below:
An elected officer of Delta Phi Fraternity sent out a
text message to potential new members that was demeaning and degrading to
specific members of the University Community.
The Chapter was found responsible for the charges and
the following sanctions were imposed:
The organization is placed on Disciplinary Deferred
Dissolution from January 27, 2015 through December 31, 2015. During this
period of time, the organization is on notice that any further violations of
the Code of Conduct will result in the dissolution of the organization
immediately without further review. Disciplinary Deferred Dissolution may not
be imposed for longer than two regular semesters. If this sanction is imposed
during a semester, it may be imposed for the remainder of that semester and two
additional semesters.
The organization is placed on Disciplinary
Probation effective January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016. Disciplinary
probation is the conditional continuation of a group or organization for a
specified period of time not to exceed four semesters. This status implies that
any further violation of this Code of Conduct may result in dissolution,
termination, or other authorized sanctions. Other sanctions may be imposed,
including limitations on social activities, and additional requirements may be
imposed as conditions for reinstatement of recognition in good standing.
The organization will be alcohol free effective
January 27, 2015 through December 31, 2015. The chapter is not permitted to
host any events in the house with alcohol and individual members are not
permitted to have alcohol in their rooms. The chapter is also prohibited from
hosting off campus events with alcohol unless a licensed third party vendor is
utilized. Events that are held off campus in members’ residences will be considered
chapter events if a reasonable person reviewing the facts would consider the
event to be a Delta Phi event.
The chapter is required to develop a long term (12-18
month) comprehensive plan for addressing the harm that they caused in the
community, including the harm done to the affected sorority and beyond. While the chapter
has apologized to the affected sorority and the president of Panhellenic, they did not do
any work to educate nor apologize to the 39 first year students that received
the vulgar text message. The chapter also has not made plans to more broadly
address the issues and become proactive on campus with issues related to
harassment and respect for women. This plan must be more than apologies, and
must exhibit a proactive approach and a depth of understanding of the issues.
The chapter should focus on educating their members and members of the
University Community on issues related to all facets of diversity and inclusion
with the major focus being on respect, improving our campus culture related to
fraternities’ behavior and attitudes towards women. This plan must be developed
in consultation with university administrators and faculty members.
a. The plan, once approved must be made public via the OFSA website and other media.
a. The plan, once approved must be made public via the OFSA website and other media.
b. The chapter must provide regular updates regarding
the progress the chapter is making to the Lehigh University Community through
the OFSA website as well as other media.
c. An initial report on this long term plan is due by
March 30, 2015. Rationale: The chapter has not assumed responsibility for their
accountability in this instance and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the
impact of their actions on the community beyond.
Delta Phi Fraternity may not
recruit new members until
The 2015-2016 academic year. The chapter may be permitted to take new members
(Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors) in the Fall of 2015 if the chapter has
complied with all sanctions, including the educational sanction listed. This
decision will be made by the Dean of Students in conjunction with the Office of
Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.
Rationale for
Finding (Detailed by Charge):
Respect for Others (General): a derogatory, vulgar,
harassing and offensive text message was sent to 39 first year men by an
elected chapter officer of Delta Phi inviting them to an off campus party. The recruitment chairperson who sent this text message is a member of the
organization, was acting in his the scope of his elected role, and in a
circumstance related entirely to Delta Phi activities and events. The text message
included vulgar language that objectified the women of the affected sorority and
all females in general. It also included encouragement to consume alcohol to
excess at the party.
Respect for Others B1 (Harassment): The text message
that was sent by a chapter officer of Delta Phi created a hostile environment
for students that were the subject of the text message as well as other female
students. As a result of the text, some student indicated they felt less safe
in this environment, demeaned, and objectified based on their sex and gender
identity as females. This was the second text message in the past 13 months
(October 2013 to November 2014) that included such harassing comments aimed at
enticing first year males to attend chapter events.
Respect for Community J1 (Encouraging Others): The
text message invited first year males to attend a party where alcohol would be
provided and encouraged the men to consume alcohol to excess. The text message
sent on behalf of the chapter by their rush chair, also conveyed a blatant
disrespect for the women of the affected sorority, which could reasonably be
interpreted as encouragement for guests to treat the women similarly in a
hostile manner.
Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized Consumption,
Distribution, or Possession): All witnesses acknowledged that there was a party
held by Delta Phi that evening in one of their chapter’s off campus houses.
Members of Delta Phi present at the hearing all acknowledged the alcohol was
purchased by chapter members and with chapter social dues. Alcohol was left out
in the open for guests to help themselves and no monitoring was in place.
Underage students could and did help themselves to alcohol. This practice of
Delta Phi hosting off campus parties at 313 E 5th street, distributing alcohol
and purchasing it with chapter social dues occurs regularly at this off campus
residence.
Rationale for
Sanctions:
Civility and respect are foundational values at Lehigh
University. Such misogynist words and messages have the impact to de-value women
in our community and encourage men to believe they have a sense of entitlement
to women as objects. These type of occurrences when combined with other
microaggressions, contribute to the potential for female members of this
community to feel unsafe, de-valued, and breed a setting where the right to not
be violated as a member of this community is at risk. Such language is also
offensive to all genders that abide by the principles of equitable community.
Rationale
Sanctions (Detailed by Sanction):
Rationale for Deferred Dissolution: This is the most severe sanction short of dissolution. Based on the egregious nature of this offense, and the fact that the same type of harassing text message was sent last year by the chapter, serious consideration was given to levying the sanction of dissolution. The chapter did take some immediate steps to apologize to the affected sorority and remove the officer from chapter membership. However, the chapter has not proactively educated its members about issues related to contributing to a campus climate that respects everyone, and it is unacceptable that this type of violation occurred two Fall semesters in a row. Also, the sanctioning guidelines for cases involving harassment indicate that deferred suspension (deferred dissolution for organizations) is recommended when the offense was aimed as a specific individual or group of individuals. The harassing text message was directed at a sorority and deeply impacted sorority women beyond that chapter, as well as females in general.
Rationale for Deferred Dissolution: This is the most severe sanction short of dissolution. Based on the egregious nature of this offense, and the fact that the same type of harassing text message was sent last year by the chapter, serious consideration was given to levying the sanction of dissolution. The chapter did take some immediate steps to apologize to the affected sorority and remove the officer from chapter membership. However, the chapter has not proactively educated its members about issues related to contributing to a campus climate that respects everyone, and it is unacceptable that this type of violation occurred two Fall semesters in a row. Also, the sanctioning guidelines for cases involving harassment indicate that deferred suspension (deferred dissolution for organizations) is recommended when the offense was aimed as a specific individual or group of individuals. The harassing text message was directed at a sorority and deeply impacted sorority women beyond that chapter, as well as females in general.
Rationale for Disciplinary Probation: When the chapter
comes off of deferred dissolution, they will need
to remain focused on their plans and actions to remain
diligent regarding compliance with social policy,
the law, and transforming their chapter culture to one
of respect for others.
Rationale for being an Alcohol Free
Organization:
Some of the violations in this incident involved a
lack of management of alcohol by the chapter and creating an atmosphere where
excessive drinking is likely to occur by underage students. This was the third
such violation in the past 3 semesters. No learning has been exhibited, nor any
efforts to correct and avoid future alcohol violations. It is clear that the
chapter currently does not have a culture that can handle the responsibility of
managing alcohol for its members and guests on or off campus.
Rationale
for not being permitted to take new members until the 2015-2016 academic year: This was the second year in a row
that the chapter sent a text message like this to potential new members. A
contributing element to the fact that this was the second year such a harassing
text message was sent by a sophomore recruitment chairperson is due to the fact
that the sophomore who sent the text this year, was one of the recipients of
such a social media message last year when he was a first year student. The
cycle must be broken and the culture must be changed within this chapter.
Taking a year to make bold steps to transform the Delta Phi culture before
recruiting a new member class may assist the chapter in avoiding similar
violations in the future.