Penn State University on Thursday permanently banned a fraternity where a pledge was fatally injured last month and announced additional steps to curb underage drinking throughout the university system.
The university revoked its recognition of the school’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi after it said an investigation found “a persistent pattern” of excessive and forced drinking, hazing and drug use and sales.
The university said staff, student leaders and others will take part in a new program to monitor compliance with the underage drinking ban, and that fraternity and sorority recruiting will be moved from fall to the spring. It also warned that it may have to completely ban alcohol at frats and sororities.
The school will no longer “tolerate what has been, for them, business as usual” within the Greek-letter system, said Damon Sims, the university’s vice president for student affairs.
Mike Leahey, a Pittsburgh lawyer for the Beta Theta Pi chapter, said it was “extremely disappointed” in what he called a rush to judgment. He said the fraternity will fight the decision.
“Despite repeated requests, we are outraged that the alumni board has never been given an opportunity to have access to any of the evidence that led to the allegations leveled by the university,” he said in an email.
More than 47,000 students attend the main campus in State College, and more than 7,000 belong to the Greek letter organizations, which include 53 fraternities, 29 sororities and three coed organizations. The fraternities are private organizations and their chapter houses are on private property, not on campus grounds.
