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COMMITTEE ON STUDENT
ORGANIZATIONS
www. cfli.wisc.edu/cso.htm
Armory and Gymnasium (Red Gym) 716 Langdon Street Madison, Wisconsin 53706 Phone: (608)263-0365 Fax: (608)265-8184 E-mail:
[email protected]
1617-11
Sigma Chi Janurary 17, 2017 Reporter: Maggie Hayes - Received: October 17, 2016 – Heard: December 2, 2016 – Decided January 17, 2017
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On October 17, 2016, the Committee on Student Organizations received a report alleging possible acts of misconduct by members of Sigma Chi. The report alleges that on October , 2016, members of Sigma Chi engaged in activities while alcohol was present, recited a chant that encouraged sexual assault, as well as other potential acts of violation. II Based on the information present in the report as well as information gathered during the investigation, Sigma Chi is alleged to have violated the following items from the Registered Student Organizations Code of Conduct: 4. May be subject to disciplinary action as a result of actions of individual members of the organization undertaken vhile representing the organization 10. Student organizations that serve or permit possession of alcoholic beverages and/or other drugs, including controlled substances, at student organization functions, on or off campus, may be disciplined if violations of alcoholic beverage laws, the Registered Student Organization Alcohol Policy (SOAP), or university regulations occur at student organization functions if the violations involve members and/or guests. I I . An RSO shall not conduct or condone any activity expected of someone joining the RSO or to maintain full status in the RSO that humiliates, degrades, abuses, endangers, sexually violates, causes emotional and/or physical harm or requires a person to give up personal liberty regardless ofthe person's willingness to participate. Examples may include but are not limited to use of alcohol, servitude, taking away cell phones, not allowing class attendance, requiring apparel that would normally be considered poor taste, scavenger hunts for questionable materials, engaging in activities designed to create excessive fatigue, smearing of substances on skin or consumption of vile substances. Due to the complexity of hazing, additional information for RSOs to reference for other examples and commonly accepted definitions can be found at www.stophazing.org.
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The Committee FINDS Sigma Chi in violation of code #4 from above (vote:10-0) The Committee FINDS Sigma Chi in violation of code #10 from above (vote:100) The Committee DOES NOT FIND Sigma Chi in violation of code #11 from above vote: 2-3-5) IV
The Committee adopts the following sanction(s) and accompanying opinion.
, wrote the findings of the Committee, and delivered the opinion of the Committee. A In this case, the Committee primarily considered the effect of the chant on the members of Sigma Chi and University Community as well as the reliability of the information provided regarding the allegation of alcohol being present. When considering code 4, the Committee acknowledged that alcohol was not formally provided by chapter membership. Therefore, when considering the source of the code 10 violation, the Committee determined that at least one member of Sigma Chi had provided alcohol to the larger membership. The Committee believed it was more likely than not that at least one member brought alcohol to the pre-social event while acting as a representative of Sigma Chi. Therefore, the Committee found Sigma Chi in violation of code 4. When considering code 10, the Committee paid special attention to the comments made by the leadership of the organization during the hearing and the preponderance of evidence before us regarding the likelihood of alcohol being present. The reporter alleged alleged that, “there was beer everywhere” when referring to the room where the members had congregated. Leadership was unable to deny that there was alcohol present or available to membership. Therefore, the committee determined that there was a preponderance of evidence to find Sigma Chi in violation of code 10. When considering code 11, the Committeee looked closely at the definition of hazing. While the chant was performed voluntariliy by its members, it remained unclear if any of the membership considered the song to be degrading or humiliating. Because the Committee had no evidence of specific adverse reaction to the chant, Sigma Chi was not found in violation of code 11. B The Committee considered Sigma Chi’s history as an RSO for the past 5 years when determining this sanction. For violation of Registered Student Organizations Codes of Conduct #4 and #10, Sigma Chi must complete the following sanctions. Effective immediately. Suspension until March 1, 2017 Create a comprehensive Pre/Post Event Plan. o This document should account for the dutities of Executive Leadership before and after a planned event, as well as detailing the expectations of General Membership.
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Attend Two Leadership Meeting with Maggie Hayes1 and Create a Post-Meeting Write-up of Topics Discussed o These meetings should be used as an opportunity to discuss leadership tactics and strategies to successfully run a large fraternity. The Committee would like Leadership to pay special attention to the following topics: The decisions made by leadership prior and post event2, an overview of the event in question, and what steps could have been taken to the prevent violations, how to transistion fraternitites out of destructive traditions, encouraging positive traditions, working with older membership, etc. o All documents must be approved by the CSO Chair and CfLI director by March 1, 2017. Failure to receive such approval will result in an extension of the suspension until all requirements have been met. Probation with Alcohol Restriction until May 8, 2017 Attend One Leadership3 Meeting with Maggie Hayes4 and Create a Post-Meeting Write-Up of Topics Discussed o This meeting should be used as an opportunity to discuss leadership transitions and how an organization should function while on Probation with Alcohol Restricition. All documents must be approved by the CSO Chair and CfLI director by May 8, 2017. Failure to receive such approval will result in an extension of the Probation with Alcohol Restriction until all requirements have been met. General Probation until Janurary 23, 2018 The Committee approves these sanctions (vote:7-0-3).
------------------------------------------------------------The Committee asks that a copy of this decision be emailed to every single registered member of your organization; please copy
[email protected] when doing so.
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Or Designee Event for which the report was made 3 Leadership should include newly elected/transitioning leadership for the 2017 calendar year 4 Or Designee 2
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The Committee would like to express its disappointment in the actions of Sigma Chi and its leadership. It is discouraging and disturbing that no member of leadership took steps to move away from the inappropriate traditions and CSO violations of the past.5 The language chanted by its membership contributed to a culture of fear and concern felt by its neighbors and the greater University community. The CSO has also recognized Sigma Chi’s continued struggles regarding code 10 violations and would like to stress the severity of its continued abuse. This RSO’s violation history calls into question its leadership tranisiton process and its ability to control its membership. We would like to urge Sigma Chi to remain in contact with CfLI’s Assistant Director of Greek Life after their probationary period in order to use her as a resource in creating a coordinated, inclusive, and safe organization within the University community. Based on Sigma Chi’s interest in education regarding sexual assult, the CSO strongly recommends looking into the following programs, organizations, and community partners: Green Dot, We’re Better Than That, Men Against Sexual Assult and EVOC. The Committee appreciates your cooperation in this matter. If you have questions and/or concerns pertaining to this decision, please do not hesitate to contact me,
[email protected]. Your organization has 10 school days from the date of this decision to appeal. Details on the procedure and grounds for any appeal can be found at the Center for Leadership and Involvement website: http://guide.cfli.wisc.edu/code of conduct.htm -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
***END OF DECISION***
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It should be noted that due to the work of the Greek Life Sexual Assault Task Force, it is highly likely that IFC will be passing a bylaw in Spring 2017 that would expressly prohibited social songs that reference sexual conduct, or otherwise include lyrics that are degrading or demeaning to a person, or group of people, on the basis of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, or other identity characteristic, regardless of intent.
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