You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
The University of Maryland (UMD) lifted its suspension of 32 of the 37 Greek organizations it had initially suspended at the beginning of March, the university announced Friday. Five chapters, which the university did not name, remain suspended, with investigations ongoing.
In the announcement, officials revealed for the first time what had led them to suspend social and new member activities for all Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Association (PHA) fraternities and sororities.
“This temporary and narrow pause was prompted by reports, over a relatively short period of time, of concerning hazing behaviors and harmful alcohol-related activities within the fraternity and sorority community,” Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo wrote on Friday. “These behaviors and activities posed a potential threat to the safety and well-being of members of our community.”
The email also listed steps the university will take to improve “safety and well-being” among the campus’s sororities and fraternities, such as reviewing all existing IFC and PHA training related to recruitment and alcohol.
The announcement came after an outside firm was brought in to help conduct interviews all week with members of UMD’s IFC and PHA chapters. The Fraternity Forward Coalition, a fraternity advocacy organization, accused investigators of violating students’ due process and using questionable tactics—including looking through students’ cell phones—to glean information.
The Coalition, which filed for a temporary restraining order that would have halted UMD’s blanket suspension of the 32 Greek organizations, said in a Wednesday release that it would “continue to pursue litigation against representatives of the University of Maryland for their unlawful behavior in targeting members of fraternities and sororities.” The statement from Coalition spokesperson Wynn Smiley also said, “Administrators who participated in or were complicit in this egregious erosion of student liberties must be held accountable.”
A hearing is scheduled for Monday.
