Fraternity suspended from UA campus

FAYETTEVILLE — The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity will be suspended for the school year at the University of Arkansas after being found responsible for violating conduct rules related to hazing, a UA spokesman said.

“The organization has been suspended from campus and is eligible for reinstatement at the conclusion of Spring 2019 semester, pending successful completion of all requirements,” UA spokesman Scott Flanagin said in an email. “The organization has been removed from their house for this academic year.”

The organization had 182 members as of spring 2018, Flanagin said. It was found responsible in April for specific conduct violations of hazing, violation of safety systems, disorderly conduct and conduct that endangers the health and safety of any person, Flanagin said.

“The Chapter appealed the decision, and those findings were upheld in May,” Flanagin said.

The organization’s latest trouble comes after a UA investigation last year into a February 2017 party and a pending lawsuit filed by a woman at the party that states the fraternity should be held responsible for

sexually explicit photographs taken without consent and distributed to a fraternity email network.

Asked about the most recent conduct, “I cannot speak to details of specific violations,” Flanagin said. Other

sanctions require a meeting with UA’s dean of students, Melissa Harwood-Rom, Flanagin said.

The fraternity almost lost its house in 2017, when the UA investigation found the fraternity responsible for disorderly conduct, serving alcohol to those underage, failing to register a social function as required by

school policy, and “conduct which encourages or enables illegal activity and/or a violation of the Code of Student Life,” according to records released at that time.

As part of that investigation, a finding of hazing was overturned on appeal after a review by Chancellor Joe Steinmetz and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Charles Robinson, with an initial sanction of suspension also overturned.

Sanctions imposed in 2017 included a prohibition on alcohol at the fraternity house until May 13, 2018.

The national Lambda Chi Alpha organization didn’t respond to an email Monday requesting comment about the ongoing sanctions.