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West Virginia University, one of the biggest party schools in the country, has placed an immediate freeze on all fraternity activities while the University debates the future of Greek Life at the institution.
According to reports, all social and recruiting activities of all 16 of the school’s fraternities have been ordered to freeze. The fraternities are allowed to continue carrying out basic chapter operations, philanthropic or service activities, and brotherhood events.
Furthermore, the university will be making multiple changes to their fraternity rules, such as raising the required grade point average from 2.5 to 2.75 and eventually 3.0 by fall 2020. Given WVU’s student population, that will be difficult to say the least.
Currently, the university did not provide a timeline the suspension.
The fraternities immediately affected are social and social-professional fraternities that are members of the university’s Interfraternity Council. They are: Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha Order. Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Theta Chi.
“We are at a tipping point,” university president Gordon Gee said in a news release. “We have seen the headlines across the country. We have had a few of our own in recent weeks. I cannot in good conscience as your president stand by and do nothing.”
The news release did not refer to any specific incidents involving fraternities. A university spokesman could not be reached Wednesday evening for further comment.
Interestingly, the traditionally African-American fraternities and sororities and sororities of the Panhellenic Association will not be immediately affected.
This is the latest fraternity suspension in the last year, as schools such as Indiana University, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Texas State, Florida State, Ball State, Louisiana State and Penn State have all suspended fraternities.
