During a week that celebrates greek life at Ohio University, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been left out of the fun.
The OU chapter of that fraternity learned May 1 that the office of community standards and responsibility had charged them with a B-6, use or possession of marijuana, and an A-18 for violation of disciplinary probation, said dean of students Ryan Lombardi.
The suspension is effective immediately and will last through the 2013-2014 school year, although Lombardi said the fraternity does have the option to appeal.
The charges against the fraternity stem from a March 3 warranted search in which the Athens Police Department confiscated 16 pipes, one water pipe, one grinder, two bags of marijuana and one book, according to a police report.
Residents of the fraternity’s former house, 12 N. College St., were not formally charged after the search. Before OU shut down the organization, those same residents underwent an ongoing eviction bout with Prokos Rentals, the owner of the property.
The eviction case is still open, according to court documents.
“(The university is) certainly disappointed, but receiving the police report prompted us to move forward,” Lombardi said.
OU is currently unaware of any attempts from “Pike” to appeal the sanctions, Lombardi said.
The fraternity is no longer being recognized by the Interfraternity Council and will not be allowed to recruit new members, to hold socials or to have an official house as part of the suspension, among other sanctions, said Chris Blackburn, OU’s associate director of student greek life and leadership.
“We will be determining or assisting in the re-colonization standard when they do come back to campus (in 2014) or when they choose to do so,” Blackburn said.
Re-charter requirements enforced may include — but are not limited to — having a full-time member of the national organization supervise the fraternity for a year and maintaining certain grade point averages, Blackburn said.
af234909@ohiou.edu
