Chi Phi fraternity to be reviewed further by Standards Review Board

The Interfraternity Council’s Greek Judicial Board hearings concluded last week, leaving Pi Lambda Phi on social probation for the fall and sending Chi Phi to their Standards Review Board for a more intensive review.

The review board is a higher authority than the judicial board, with the power to consider past allegations from various sources.

“The way the Greek Judicial Board’s jurisdiction is laid out, we look at allegations in a specific sense,” said Fields Pierce, chairman of the Greek Judicial Board . “Chi Phi is a repeat offender, and so we felt like giving that case over to the Standards Review Board.”

Interfraternity Council President Kenan Drum is a member of the Standards Review Board, along with its chairman, Dean of Students Jonathan Sauls, other faculty members, and student and alumni representatives.

Drum said the review board can take into account prior investigations made by both the University and national office, and also has greater penalties at its disposal than the judicial board.

“The Greek Judicial Board doesn’t have the power to do away with university recognition of a particular chapter,” Drum said. “The Standards Review Board can discuss matters such as university recognition and vote on those.”

Though the Greek Judicial Board may refer a case to the Standards Review Board at any time, it has not done so for several years.

“I spoke with Aaron Bachenheimer a week ago and the last time he can remember it meeting was, I think, 2011,” Drum said. “There have been no cases that have warranted Standards Review Board intervention (since then).”

The Chi Phi review process will not relate to the 2012 death of freshman David Shannon, who was a Chi Phi pledge.

“The David Shannon case has nothing to do with the Chi Phi investigation at this time,” Drum said.

He said the Standards Review Board will not meet until fall.

The Greek Judicial Board also intends to enforce sanctions from Chi Phi’s national organization, but Pierce said those sanctions are not yet fully official.

“(The sanctions) have been relayed to the chapter by word of mouth, but they have not been relayed by an official remedial action plan,” he said. “Once that happens, all of those plans will be enforced.”

Pierce said the judicial board will look at Chi Phi’s national sanctions again in the fall.

A spokesman for the Southern Order Memorial Foundation, which owns the Chi Phi house on South Columbia Street, said in a statement the foundation will continue to transparently work with the University.

Unlike Chi Phi, Pi Lam does not face the possibility of losing university recognition.

Pi Lam is subject to sanctions from Honor Court in addition to the social probation levied by the Greek Judicial Board.

Pierce said social probation allows recruitment and philanthropy events but forbids Pi Lam from sponsoring social events.

Chapter president Robert Harrison said the fraternity is complying with all sanctions and hopes to move forward as a contributing member of the campus.

Honor Court sanctions are protected by FERPA and could not be disclosed.

“Pi Lambda Phi’s come a long way in the last year,” Harrison said. “We’ve worked to make sure the mistakes that happened last fall are never going to happen again.”

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