Student Judicial Services extended Delta Tau Delta’s social probation until October just as the fraternity completed earlier sanctions to lift the probation.
SJS charged the fraternity for disorderly conduct after a Delta Tau Delta member said “I hate fags” as GWPride members walked by the fraternity house April 13, and a Delta Tau Delta alumnus argued with a University Police officer outside the house hours later, SJS Director David Pine said. SJS dropped charges of discrimination and non-compliance for the two incidents and another charge of disorderly conduct for an alleged fight that “turned out to be a non-event,” Pine said.
To lift the social probation, Delta Tau Delta must make a presentation to all Interfraternity Council fraternities addressing how an individual member’s actions can affect the entire organization, Pine said. The fraternity must also complete all SJS sanctions from a “Rock the Vote” party held before the Student Association elections.
“What I did was I extended their social probation . until October 1 or until all sanctions are complete,” Pine said.
Delta Tau Delta President Bob Simon said his fraternity completed alcohol training programs stemming from the February party, which resulted in social probation until sanctions were completed. Simon has not turned in verification of the sanction completion to SJS yet, he said.
Simon said the charge of disorderly conduct is too vague to fight, and the sanctions fit the charges.
“I think the sanctions are fair,” he said. “I don’t even think we should have gotten the disorderly conduct, but I think it would be difficult to appeal. Disorderly conduct is so general, how could you find new evidence (to appeal)?”
Simon said SJS failed to justify why the fraternity was sanctioned for disorderly conduct.
Pine said he required the fraternity to punish the member and alumnus as part of the sanctions.
Simon said the member, who lived in the house this year, lost his housing privileges and is banned from fraternity events until he proves himself in “good standing.” He said the fraternity has no power to punish alumni, but the group’s housing corporation would punish the alumnus, Jeff Butler, who argued with a UPD officer April 14.
“I would probably say that (Butler) would never be allowed to live in the house again,” Simon said. “This stems from other things, it’s not from that one specific thing.”
Simon said GW should not hold his fraternity liable for a member’s conduct outside the Delta Tau Delta house.
“You shouldn’t hold a whole organization responsible for an individual’s actions, but the individual’s actions do have an appearance for your whole organization,” he said.
Pine said the fraternity was sanctioned for the actions of individuals because the incidents took place on the fraternity’s front yard.
“It was on their front porch,” he said. “They’re located right in the center in the campus.”
When asked whether a fraternity would be charged if a non-member broke GW rules outside its house, Pine said, “I’ll let you know if we have another case.”
Pine said the two students involved in incidents April 13 and 14 were charged individually by SJS. Butler was sanctioned for non-compliance, which means a “failure to comply with reasonable directions of University officials,” and the Delta Tau Delta member was sanctioned for disorderly conduct and discrimination.
