Ohio University suspends all fraternities after widespread hazing alleged

Even after another fraternity was expelled from the university just last year over the death of a pledge

Quote:

ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio University on Thursday announced it was suspending all its fraternities following allegations of widespread hazing. Suspension of the 15 fraternities at the university was immediate and indefinite. It followed allegations within the past week of hazing at seven of the fraternities, as well as the expulsion in May of a fraternity following the alleged hazing of a freshman who died last year. “These troubling allegations, which will be thoroughly investigated, indicate a potentially escalating systemic culture” within fraternity organizations, said Jenny Hall-Jones, the university’s dean of students. “Ohio University will not put at risk the health and safety of our students,” she said. In May, the university expelled Sigma Pi fraternity for hazing, alcohol and drug use, and other student conduct code violations after the alleged hazing of 18-year-old Collin Wiant, who died in November.

I believe this is honestly the only rational way forward for Ohio University - and to be honest, most universities. The school fraternity model seems to be broken on a fundamental level. Suspensions, banishings, and disclaimings by national bodies are hardly unusual to see in the headlines over the last decade; and yet these consequences very clearly don't provide any kind of deterrent or incentive to fraternities to clean up their acts, with some apparently continuing to engage in hazing-as-usual even while other fraternities at the very same schools are under investigations that receive massive media attention. The problem isn't isolated; like the OU dean says, it's systemic.

Some kind of whole-system reset is needed. It is very possible that the concept of the school fraternity might be completely unsalvageable; but at the very least, a new system of regulation and accountability is required to move forward.

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2LJLWtw