Education, live-in resident staff, are also reported to have attended the gathering. We have been advised that beer was
SIGMA CHI ALUMNI REACT TO JANUARY 12th PARTY
There have been requests of the Alpha Omega House Corporation (AOHC) for comments regarding an incident that is alleged to have occurred at the Stanford Sigma Chi House on Friday January 12, 2018. The AOHC is the owner of the Sigma Chi House which its alumni originally built at its current location in 1939 and renovated at a cost of $4 million in 2006. Based on information supplied by the Chapter and our student tenants, it is currently our understanding that a minority number of members of three distinct student groups coalesced in the residence on the evening of January 12th. This included multiple members of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, the Pi Phi sorority and the Stanford University Men’s Rowing team. According to the President of the Sigma Chi Chapter, two student employees of the Office of Residential Education, live-in resident staff, are also reported to have attended the gathering. We have been advised that beer was procured and consumed in common areas of the House. It is our current understanding that the beer was purchased by individuals, and was not supplied by any of the three organizations. We do have reason to believe that a large number of participants were underage and consuming alcohol. Under the current policies of the AOHC, there should not have been alcohol in the common areas of the House associated with this event. Under the policies of the AOHC, the University, and the Sigma Chi International Fraternity, as well as state law, minors should not have been consuming alcohol in the residence. There appears to be no question that Santa Clara County’s strict social host law was also violated. We have been told by the Chapter’s Risk Management Officer that initially a single individual reported a concern of being sickened by something, potentially a foreign substance. Later, others suggested the same thing. We have been advised that, early on, the Resident Assistants for both Pi Phi and Sigma Chi were both made aware of these concerns. However, it was not until late Sunday, January 14th, that the Stanford Fraternity Advisor and the Stanford “on call” Residence Dean were advised, according to the reports we received from the Student Chapter. In the reports from the President of the Sigma Chi House, we have been told that no individual sought medical treatment; neither did any of the alleged victims report this matter to law enforcement. Sigma Chi International Fraternity, in Evanston, Illinois only learned of the incident from the Pi Phi national sorority on Tuesday, January 16th. They shared the information with their local advisory personnel who immediately notified the AOHC in the early afternoon of Tuesday, January 16, 2018. That was 89 hours after the event.
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Within minutes of receiving the notification, and after reviewing The Fountain Hopper article that reported no one had contacted the police regarding a potential felony with multiple alleged victims, the AOHC contacted the Department of Public Safety at Stanford University. Public Safety stated that a police report had not been filed by anyone. This was at approximately 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 16th. At that time, our organization filed what we were told was the initial police report. At the time we shared that we would cooperate fully in any investigation and, if a crime had been committed, we would support the prosecution whether the accused was a tenant or a guest. We next immediately reported the alleged incident to our designated point of contact in the Department of Residential Education. While media has focused on whether a drugging occurred, and if so, who was responsible, the AOHC has focused on eliminating the environment that created the risk. Stanford alum and AOHC Chair Bob Ottilie said, “Turning this residence into a bar, without authorization and in a way that violated University and AOHC policies, and State and County law, is what created the risk. That cannot be happening and will not happen going forward unless the University directs us otherwise.” Stanford has asked the AOHC to ensure that its residents comply with all state and local laws, and University policies. To meet that obligation and in light of the foregoing, and within 24 hours, the Board of Directors of the AOHC met in an emergency meeting at noon, on Wednesday, January 17th. We took the following action: 1.
Alcohol will be banned in the common areas of the Sigma Chi House, interior and exterior.
2.
In Spring Quarter 2018, individual room leases will be modified to preclude the possession or consumption of any alcohol in student rooms.
3.
Other than Chapter meetings, the local Chapter of Sigma Chi may not host any activity in the residence through the end of Spring Quarter 2018.
Our alumni group has also adopted the enclosed “Statement on House Alcohol Policy.” With young lives being lost at fraternities nationwide, universities, fraternities and alumni cannot afford to be reactive. We all must be proactive to protect lives and safety. Merely educating and encouraging underage students to do a better job managing violations of law is not the solution. AOHC Chairman Bob Ottilie, in announcing the landlord’s response, said: “This is not a Sigma Chi or Stanford problem. There has been a dramatic increase in alcohol consumption on college campuses nationwide, often combined with the consumption of alcohol in a manner that makes it the focus of activities, rather than incidental to other activities. This trend has been ignored or underappreciated by too many responsible parties for too long. Parents, 2
administrators and alumni need to accept the role they have often played in perpetuating this epidemic, or in failing to effectively address it. Our response is the appropriate way to protect students in this house at this time, and to meet our ongoing obligations to Stanford.” Given this occurrence on January 12th, our group and the Sigma Chi International Fraternity will also work closely with our partner groups (the Student Chapter and the University) to improve emergency communications. When an incident like this occurs, everybody needs to communicate quickly and effectively with each other, and law enforcement where appropriate, so that we can protect our students and their guests. That did not happen here at many levels, and it should be a good lesson for all involved. Going forward, we will continue to work closely with both the University and the International Fraternity in our long term efforts to guarantee the enforcement in this residence of University and Sigma Chi policies, state law, Santa Clara County’s social host law and our own lease provisions. Open and acknowledged violations of laws and policies that are designed to protect students cannot be condoned by any of these five stakeholders. Our long term objective will be to quickly pass through this period when the community refers to Sigma Chi as the “dry house,” and return to Sigma Chi being acknowledged and respected as the premiere leadership training program on the Stanford campus. We believe the leadership we have exhibited here will kick start that transition. If we learn of more information which will provide assistance to others, and protect residents and their guests, we will share it with the community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: AOHC Board Chair: Bob Ottilie
(619) 231-4841 (619) 820-3716
[email protected]
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