Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity suspended at Ohio State

Another fraternity has been suspended at Ohio State University following a temporary ban on all Interfraternity Council-governed organizations last fall stemming from a high number of investigations.

Ohio State’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu was suspended by the fraternity’s international organization last week due to violations of fraternity and university hazing and alcohol policies.

Sigma Alpha Mu was one of the 11 fraternities under investigation at Ohio State last fall when the university imposed a temporary suspension on all 37 of its Interfraternity Councilgoverned fraternities. The university’s investigation of Sigma Alpha Mu is still pending, said Ohio State student life spokesman Dave Isaacs.

Specifically, Sigma Alpha Mu headquarters found the Ohio State chapter continued to conduct new member activities while under cease-and-desist status last fall, and that “big brothers”— typically older members paired with new or younger members — provided bottles of liquor to their “little brothers,” said Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity spokesman Kelby Dolan in an email.

The chapter is closed indefinitely, Dolan said. All 54 initiated members have been moved to alumni status and will not be eligible to have their undergraduate membership reinstated. Forty-six fraternity candidates from the fall and spring new-member classes who have not been initiated are officially released.

“Based on the nature of the policy violations, the failure to follow directives and the intent by members to hide these activities, the international headquarters and local advisory board had no confidence that educational sanctions would rehabilitate the chapter,” Dolan said in his emailed statement.

Of the other fraternities which had been under investigation at Ohio State, Tau Kappa Epsilon has been suspended for three years, while Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Zeta Beta Tau each have been placed on disciplinary probation.

Ohio State distributed guidelines and required all IFC fraternities to submit detailed plans for conducting recruitment, new member and social events, requiring them to identify and address high-risk behaviors, emphasizing reducing alcohol use and ending hazing. Nearly all of the suspended fraternities have been approved to resume recruitment events and new member activities, with 26 also approved to resume social activities.

Sigma Alpha Mu submitted plans and had been approved for recruitment and new member activities, according to Ohio State’s Greek life website, but Isaacs said the university’s ongoing investigation superseded that process and that the fraternity has not been active recently.