Update: 06/05/2015
A disciplinary conference was held with Theta Xi Fraternity to
adjudicate the charges below:
- Respect for Community (General)
- Respect for Community A1 (False Information)
- Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized Consumption, Distribution, or Possession
- Respect for Property A1A (Vandalism)
The incident these charges were related to is described
below:
Theta Xi Fraternity hosted their formal at Bear Creek
resort. They did so under the name "LU Men's Chior". They caused over
$7000.00 in damage to the hotel.
After reviewing the information related to incident, the
Hearing Officer made the following finding(s) regarding the violation(s) for
which the chapter was charged:
- Respect for Community (General) -- Responsible
- Respect for Community A1 (False Information) -- Not Responsible
- Respect for Self A1 (Unauthorized Consumption, Distribution, or Possession) -- Responsible
- Respect for Property A1A (Vandalism) -- Responsible
As a result of this behavior the following sanction(s) will
be imposed:
The organization is placed on Disciplinary Deferred Dissolution from May 26, 2015 through
May 31, 2016. 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.
Theta Xi Fraternity is placed on Disciplinary Probation effective May 31, 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 Chapter is required to work with the Office of
Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and the Office of Student Conduct &
Community Expectations to set up a functioning standards board that holds
members accountable in a timely manner. It is to be completed by November 30,
2015.
The Chapter is required to set up two workshops during the
Fall 2015 semester in conjunction with the Office of Student Conduct and your
Assistant Director from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. These
workshops/conversations should focus on individual and group accountability and
how individual actions reflect on the entire organization. One workshop should
be for the executive board and one for the whole chapter. Both must be completed
by September 30, 2015.
The chapter is required to write a letter of apology to Bear
Creek Resort. This letter must be typed and no less than 250 words in length. This
letter should reflect a keen understanding of the inappropriateness of the
chapter’s actions and the impact that it had on the recipient.
Rationale for
Finding:
Respect for the Community and Respect for Property: Theta Xi
misrepresented themselves (and in turn LU) in a way that did not reflect
favorably upon the university and compromises reputation of the university with
Bear Creek Resort and jeopardizes other LU group's ability to use the facilities
at Bear Creek in the future. Furthermore, based on photographic evidence and
reports from Bear Creek, students from Theta Xi did not "serve as positive
representatives of Lehigh" while they were at Bear Creek. They acted in
ways that put Bear Creek staff, other guests of the hotel, etc. in bad
positions.
Unauthorized Distribution of Alcohol: Theta Xi left
significant alcohol out in common spaces including bottles of hard alcohol and
a keg where they could be accessed by anyone attending the event which included
many underage students. None of the alcohol was monitored. The Chapter admitted
that at one point one of loft suites that was intended to have a max occupancy
of 12 had upwards of 30-40 people in it for pre-party.
Rationale for
Sanctions:
The sanctions imposed in this case represent the severity of
the incident, and the potential impact that the actions of the members of the
organization had on others. It is my hope that by focusing the educational
sanctions on building structures to allow the chapter to hold its members
accountable, Theta Xi will become a stronger organization in the future.