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Monmouth University in New Jersey announced on Thursday, September 6, that they are suspending their entire Greek life system “indefinitely.” The university said the decision to end Greek Life was due to a series of “serious conduct violations,” involving hazing, alcohol, drug use and lack of academic focus.
According to a letter to the campus and community, Monmouth University president Grey Dimenna said that the negative culture surrounding fraternities in recent years was “casting a long shadow over Greek life at Monmouth.”
The decision from Monmouth University came just days after the North-American Interfraternity Conference announced a new policy that will no longer allow hard liquor in fraternity chapter houses.
The university says that the suspension of Greek life impacts approximately 750 students in seven fraternities and nine sororities.
via NJ.com
University officials met with leaders of the Greek community in May to address concerns and asked students to develop a draft plan to address those issues, Dimenna wrote. The plan they submitted fell short of expectations, he added.
“This means there will be no recruitment, social, philanthropic, or any such activities within the fraternity and sorority community until we receive and approve an acceptable plan from the Greek Senate,” he wrote.
Leaders of the Greek community were informed of the decision last month, according to the university. Solutions need to come from the students, not from top-down mandates, Dimenna wrote.
“I am very confident that our Greek community will rise to this challenge and together we will develop an improved Greek community here at Monmouth,” he wrote.
This is the latest major fraternity or sorority overhaul in the last year, as schools such as Indiana University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Texas State, Florida State, Ball State, Louisiana State and Penn State have all suspended fraternities in the wake of hazing and alcohol deaths.
These reports come amidst similar allegations that have been made against fraternities nationwide, including Sigma Alpha Epsilon at East Carolina University, who was shut down for hazing and the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at the University of Arkansas which has been accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of women without their permission.
In response to incidents like these, fraternities such Phi Kappa Psi have made numerous changes to their code of conduct in an effort to address the issues that have arisen. In addition, schools such as Texas State, West Virginia University, and Penn State University have introduced new Greek Life rules to try and prevent these problems.
