Fall recruitment started with a kick-off on Dexter Lawn, where each Interfraternity chapter had a booth.
Benjy Egel
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Cal Poly fraternities Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi are under social probation for hosting parties during fall recruitment, university spokesperson Matt Lazier said.
All Interfraternity Council organizations signed a sober recruitment agreement at the beginning of the quarter, acknowledging serving alcohol to minors would result in university punishments.
Both fraternities hosted parties on the night of Oct. 11 with hard alcohol and underage drinking, Lazier said.
“In spite of this sober rush policy, Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi held events during rush (containing alcohol),” Lazier said. “Both of these were violations of the sober rush policy, but there was a little difference in what happened in each event.”
Approximately a dozen people were found drinking in the residence of some members of Phi Kappa Psi, Lazier said. The fraternity is now on social probation through winter quarter.
Lambda Chi Alpha’s party was intended to be small as well, Lazier said, but it reportedly swelled to more than 100 attendees. The fraternity will be on social probation until the end of the academic year.
“In the investigation that Student Affairs did, they learned that the Lambda Chi Alpha event was intended to be a small gathering at a house where several members of the chapters live,” Lazier said. “It was not well managed and kind of spiraled out of control.”
Each fraternity is preparing appeals for Dean of Students Jean DeCosta, Lazier said. Once the appeals are logged, the chapters will meet separately with Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Humphrey.
Though Lambda Chi Alpha President and business administration senior Graham Garland declined to elaborate on details of his fraternity’s appeal, he said they plan to submit the necessary documents to Cal Poly by Friday.
Phi Kappa Psi recruitment chair and aerospace engineering junior Jacob Bassetti declined to comment.
“My understanding of the appeal process is once we officially file it, which we have not yet, sometime in the next 14 days we would have a date set for the hearing,” Garland said.
During the university’s month-long investigation into both houses, Lambda Chi Alpha was forced to cancel their Watermelon Bust philanthropy. Since the investigation has ended, Phi Kappa Psi still plans on having their fall quarter philanthropy.
Being on social probation prevents fraternities from having events such as parties or exchanges with sororities, though they can still have chapter meetings and continue educating new members.