A University of Arizona fraternity got the boot from campus after racking up a number of violations including one that led to the death of a student last April.
Phi Gamma Delta, also known as FIJI, lost its official status as a fraternity on Monday following an investigation into several violations including hazing, underage drinking and lying to police. The University started their investigation into the fraternity last April when frat member and UA student Michael Evan Anderson, 19, died from a 2o-foot fall while he and a friend tried to climb the exterior of a three-story campus tower. The investigation also found that some fraternity members withheld vital information from police about the accident in order to protect the fraternity from taking responsibility for the accident. University police officers found that members were ordered to “deny alcohol presence to police and hide activities,” according to police reports.
The fraternity was already on probation for violating the school’s alcohol bylaws by providing drinks to underage members during recruitment drives. That launched the first investigation into the frat that found they had also violated the school’s hazing code for treating new recruits by throwing food at them and kicking one in the stomach during their initiation process.
The banishment from the campus won’t completely remove the fraternity from UA’s rosters. The fraternity will be allowed to become a chartered member again once the current roster of students have left the school. The earliest they could be considered is the spring semester of 2017 but the chapter won’t be officially eligible to return until April of 2019.
