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All greek life social events at the University of Michigan have been canceled and suspended by the IFC as the school tries to deal with multiple sexual assault allegations, hazing incidents, and parties.
The student-run Interfraternity Council confirmed the move in a statement issued on Thursday, November 9, saying that they “believe that social events are a privilege.”
The suspension includes a ban on social events like mixers and date parties, hazing activities with new pledges — including lineups — and general brotherhood meetings involving alcohol.
via Michigan Daily:
Presidents of several University of Michigan fraternities convened at a meeting Thursday night to discuss the future of the Interfraternity Council — the governing body of National Interfraternity Conference fraternity chapters at the University. Those in attendance at the meeting voted to suspend all social activities and new member pledge terms pending investigation of several incidents in Greek life.
In the meeting, attended by The Daily, the IFC executive council outlined several events that have taken place in fraternities across campus that led to the decision to suspend all social events. The allegations include: claims of sexual misconduct cases involving fraternity brothers, six incidents of reported hazing, more than 30 hospital transports for students during the weekend of the football game against Michigan State as well as seven called during Halloween weekend, an unauthorized “Champagne and Shackles” event — in which dates at a party are handcuffed to one another until the two people finish a full bottle of champagne — which transpired this past weekend, multiple allegations of drugging members in undisclosed fraternity chapters and three specific hazing allegations reported this week where fraternity members were put in alleged near-death situations.
The University of Michigan IFC released a full statement:
“As an Interfraternity Council community, we believe in holding our members to a high standard at the University of Michigan. It has come to our attention that some members of the Interfraternity Council community have not been living up to these standards,” Alec Mayhan, the IFC executive vice president, said in the statement. “In the interim, we are suspending all social activities and new member education programs. We will be working with our national organization partners to ensure that our programs are in alignment with our policies and values.
“We believe that social events are a privilege, and we, as a community, have not earned this privilege at this time. We will immediately begin the process of assessing our policies and practices and developing a formal plan going forward.”
The University of Michigan greek life suspension comes the same week that Florida State Univeristy decided to do the same following the death of a pledge and the unrelated arrest of another fraternity member on drug charges.
