Regardless of what you think of how runamuck this and other colleges have been with regard to Greek organizations, or whether FSU is simply ducking for political cover after a hazing death, you have to admit that the school president just showed a lot of balls:

FSU suspends all fraternities, sororities following death of a pledge

Colleen Wright

Published: November 6, 2017
Updated: November 6, 2017 at 03:28 PM

Florida State University president John Thrasher indefinitely suspended all fraternities and sororities Monday following the death of a fraternity pledge and another student’s unrelated drug arrest over the weekend.

Thrasher said the pause was necessary to "review and reflect on the loss of a young life," according to a press release.
"For this suspension to end, there will need to be a new normal for Greek life at the university," he said. "There must be a new culture, and our students must be full participants in creating it."

Fraternity and sorority chapters will not be able to hold new member events, council or chapter meetings, chapter organized tailgates, chapter events such as socials, philanthropy, retreats, intramurals, organized participation in Market Wednesday and organized participation in homecoming, the university said in the release.

Students in those chapters will be allowed to remain as residents in their fraternity or sorority house and will have meal service. They can attend leadership classes, judicial and conduct hearings, and risk management education workshops offered by the university.
Those who do not comply with the interim suspension could be disciplined immediately, according to the release. Thrasher said it is up to students to determine when the temporary ban will be lifted.

"They must work with us and demonstrate they fully understand the serious obligation they have to exercise responsible conduct," he said.

Thrasher has also banned alcohol at all registered student organization events during the indefinite suspension. FSU has more than 700 organizations outside the Greek community, according to the press release.

"Like most universities, we worry about alcohol and drug abuse and other dangerous behaviors, and we are doing all we can to educate our students," Thrasher said. "But all of our student organizations — Greek organizations and the other recognized student organizations on campus — must step up. They will have to participate in the solution."

The press release said the university’s Division of Student Affairs will create and implement new measures in collaboration with students and other stakeholder groups.

The suspension followed the death of Andrew Coffey, a 20-year-old pledge at Pi Kappa Phi, who was found unresponsive after attending a party on Thursday. He was from Pompano Beach.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, which quoted Tallahassee police, Coffey was found unresponsive at 10:23 a.m. Friday at a house about a mile from campus. He died on the scene.

Police collected beer bottles from the porch as evidence, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The fraternity’s national office suspended the FSU chapter’s operations following his death, according to the Sun-Sentinel, quoting Todd Shelton, a spokesman for Pi Kappa Phi.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/e...f-a-pledge_162379276

Good luck on enforcing that.

flashguy

Guess Dean Thrasher one-upped Dean Wormer by a long shot.

I did not go to college. I just got drunk at home.

I'm an ATO...

I hate seeing these stories.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PR64, November 06, 2017 11:08 PM

I'm a Sigma Chi. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Blanket guilt, absolutely ridiculous.

At Purdue, the GDI's were often worse than the folks in the Greek System when it came to substance abuse.

To single out a group when their actions are no different than the college population as a whole is pure BS.

quote:

Originally posted by PR64:
I'm an ATO alumni...

I hate seeing these stories.

Agreed.

But, I don't think Dean Thrasher has the stick to suspend the First Amendment.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
I'm a Sigma Chi. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Blanket guilt, absolutely ridiculous.

To single out a group when their actions are no different than the college population as a whole is pure BS.

I agree a little. I think there are a bunch of factors to consider. Are the Fraternity and Sorority houses on university property? If they are the university has risk and the dean absolutely has the right to minimize that risk.

Has there been an escalating problem with the greek houses that the university has tried to remedy?

If the science, French, and English clubs met on school property, had a history of hazing and drunkenness along with the occasional death, and the school noticed the same trend beginning to develop in the Russian and Chess clubs don't you think the dean might suspend all clubs to send a message?

Would that be wrong or tough love?

Mark

Chi Phi here. There are 55 fraternal societies at Florida State, so I guess 54 of them didn't harass anybody to death.

I can certainly see dropping a load of concrete on the offending house and having a come-to-your-higher-power meeting with everybody else. But I am universally against punishing a person or a group for a crime committed by someone else. All the national organizations have a governing body that has legal advice and I will be surprised if the petty tyrant can make this stick unless there are a string of bodies in the local swamp.

Delta a Sigma Phi here. Chicken dropping move by the college.

Group Punishments are almost-universally tools for weak minded or lazy fools, at best.

I was never Greek, I almost joined Alpha Eta Rho,, the academic frat for my major but didn't have time as I worked my way through college.

One thing I did notice, and predicted this over 20 years ago, was that every class had to in some way out do the last outrageous act by the previous class. Eventually it was going to go too far, it was just a matter of time.

I went to a "streetcar college" and lived at home. Carried a heavy 18-credit-hour Engineering load every semester and did not have time for Greek Club nonsense. I also worked after school jobs and summer jobs to pay for my chothes and books (had a scholarship that paid my tuition); my parents did not charge me room and board--I did luck out there.

I took 4 years of AFROTC, too, and that also put some demands on my time. I did belong to the Arnold Air Society and the local Chemical Engineering student group--those were my social contacts outside of family and church (both of which I had significant amounts of).

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Group Punishments are almost-universally tools for weak minded or lazy fools, at best.

Totally agree.

----------------------------

Chi Phi as well wishfull thinker. Seems like a very heavy handed and ultimately ineffective solution to a much more complex problem. But, at least he can say he did something, for the children!

My sophomore year my fraternity was suspended and we went underground and subsequently had more fun. We owned our own house so there was nothing the school could do. Our Cortland State chapter had two pledges go into renal failure back in the 90’s and have been underground ever since. They also own their house off campus.

TOGA TOGA TOGA

I see the fraternities and sororities haven't figured out that after decades of injuries and deaths, and hazing is not going to be tolerated.

I was in a fraternity for one semester, and quit because of this kind of nonsense. In case I'm unclear, the hazing is the nonsense, not the the disciplinary actions to stop it.

Alumni who want to talk about the "good old days," only encourage this stupidity.

If you want your organization to be recognized by the school, and allowed to benefit from the use of school resources, then you better figure out how to play by the school rules.

* Most of the hazing is harmless, in a broad sense. No deaths or life changing injuries, no permanent mental scars, or anything of the sort, and rest assured - kids are gonna kid...

* It will never stop, not in the Greek system or military or fire departments and a great many other organizations where they believe team/unit cohesion and "the bond" matters.

* Universities need the Greek system just as much as the reverse, especially for legacy members / students. Like it or not, pure academics have never been the sole or even primary draw when a great many folks choose which school. And, like drugs, banning them only drives it underground, it NEVER, EVER, stops it, and believing so is folly.

* Such disciplinary actions as in this case are all but wholly ineffective, on their best days.

* And yes, there is such a thing as too much / too far, and I don't support those aspects, but you can't police things enough to prevent them forevermore, so shit *will* happen, and it's sad when it does, and specific perpetrators need to be handled, but such is life, and refusing to understand that is asking for disappointment and having unrealistic expectations.