Three frats to lose brownstones, remain on probation for three years

UPDATED: Friday, 5:40 p.m.

Next semester, the three fraternities involved in the December drug bust will no longer call 114th Street home.

According to members of the organizations and the Division of Student Affairs, Pi Kappa Alpha, Psi Upsilon, and Alpha Epsilon Pi will lose their brownstones and will have only probationary recognition from the University for the next three years. The Intercultural Resource Center will face no sanctions.

Other consequences for the fraternities will include extended social probation until fall 2011 and required three-year improvement plans.

Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger met with the presidents of each fraternity on Thursday evening to issue the decision, which has been in the works since December, when five students—four of them from the fraternities and the fifth a resident of the IRC—were arrested for selling drugs on campus.

On Dec. 8, Terry Martinez, dean of community development and multicultural affairs, was put in charge of conducting a review of the fraternities’ and IRC’s operations over the last four years.

“To this end and over the past several weeks, Student Affairs collected information including but not limited to a history of service and philanthropic activities, evidence of contributions to the greater community, Greek Judicial board records, academic and judicial records, and prior incident reports,” said a statement from Student Affairs, released on Thursday night. “Throughout the review, it was always our goal to render a fair, impartial decision based on the feedback and information gathered as part of this comprehensive process.”

The fraternities will be granted back all of their privileges after their social suspension ends this spring—just without specific housing, according to a statement from the Inter-Greek Council.

When the fraternities were informed on Thursday night, residents said they had heard no decision on the fate of the IRC.

A spokesperson for Student Affairs confirmed on Friday afternoon that the IRC will be permitted to function as it has in the past after its own review.

Because IRC residents are chosen based on yearly applications, not a membership in an organization, "We made a greater distinction between the actions of one individual and the activities of the organization. Furthermore, our review revealed that the IRC’s contributions to the Columbia community over the past several years have been overwhelmingly positive," the spokesperson said in an email.

Earlier this week, Martinez said she found that residents of the IRC had cleaner records than members of the three fraternities during her reviews.

“There were far fewer judicial issues with members of the IRC—significantly less—and significantly fewer issues with academic probation,” she said.

Student Affairs said in a statement on Friday morning that the fraternities' three brownstones would be used for general-assignment housing and would not be a part of the housing lottery.

"They will not be left vacant, nor will they be reassigned to a fraternity, sorority, or special interest community for the coming academic year," the statement said. "In the Fall of 2012, the University will consider accepting applications for the three brownstones from recognized fraternity and sorority chapters in good standing as well as special interest communities, for housing beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year."

According to a member of the organization, the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta has been waiting to get a brownstone for the past nine years, and the sorority Alpha Chi Omega has been waiting since the 1990s. Both chapters currently maintain six-person townhouses in East Campus. According to a statement from Student Affairs organizations will have to apply for those brownstones and no promises have been made to AXO or FIJI.

"All applications to an open brownstone are given equal weight," a spokesperson said in an email.

Loren Berman, JTS/GS ’12 and a fraternity member, said he and other Greeks feel the decision against the fraternities was unfair.

“The people who weren’t involved are getting penalized for what a few people did,” he said.

The review did not look into police records or investigate the complicity of fraternity members with the drug activity that went on in the house. Martinez said it would have been impossible to gauge how involved the brothers were.

“If I ask someone ‘Did your brother sell drugs and did you buy drugs from him?’ you know what the answer is going to be,” she said. “I was more interested in what the community was like that would allow something like this to happen.”

In an interview last week, AEPi member Joey Spitz, JTS/GS ’11, said that Martinez’s visit to their brownstone had gone well, but he and his brothers were still worried.

“No one could have come out of that meeting thinking we’re not good guys,” he said. “[But] there’s a lot more at play than whether or not we’re good guys.”

Student reaction was mixed following the decision. Jack Taylor, CC ’13, said he understood the administration's choice because living in the brownstones is a special privilege.

“If you mess up, you lose privileges,” he said.

But Bianca Field, BC ’13, said she was sympathetic to the organizations’ other members.

“Just because you know about it doesn’t mean you’re condoning it,” she said.

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