ASU officials suspend all fraternity, sorority events until April 1.

School cites risk concerns, including alleged sex assault

JONESBORO — Arkansas State University at Jonesboro officials suspended all fraternity and sorority events until April 1, citing a series of “high risk- related issues” that include a sexual- assault complaint two weeks ago at an on- campus fraternity party.

The suspension went into effect Tuesday and runs through April 1.

“[ Officials] decided to have a moratorium on social events,” ASU- Jonesboro spokesman Bill Smith said. “It is based on a series of things that have happened in the course of the year.

“ASU expressed a desire to pause all activities and to go over our policies,” he said.

The suspension comes on the heels of the arrest Friday of an ASU- Jonesboro student who has been charged with rape and aggravated assault. Police say James K. Chambless, 20, of Lonoke sexually assaulted a woman at the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity house at 3405 Aggie Road on the ASU campus on Feb. 9. The woman reported the assault to police Thursday after she went to a Jonesboro hospital because of injuries to her neck that she said she suffered during the assault.

A witness told police that Chambless appeared to be intoxicated and “possibly under the influence of something,” ASU University Police Sgt. Brian Shelton wrote in an arrest affidavit filed in Craighead County District Court.

Chambless told to police that he had sex with the woman, but said it was consensual, Shelton wrote in the affidavit.

Smith said Tuesday evening that the assault, along with several altercations and fights at fraternity and sorority functions, led to the suspension.

According to the 2016 ASU On Campus Security Act Report — the latest available — there were eight reports of assaults on campus in 2015 and 11 in 2014. The report did not note whether the assaults occurred during fraternity or sorority events.

Alexis Hurdle, assistant dean of the school’s Greek Life office, informed chapter presidents of ASU’s fraternities and sororities of the suspension in an email.

“Our A- State fraternity and sorority community is strong and thriving,” Hurdle wrote in the email. “But can be so easily bruised by hardship and/ or poor decisions.”

The suspension includes social events, drop- ins, formals, semiformals, date nights and other events registered through ASU’s Office of Fraternity and Society Life.

ASU Greek Life will hold two risk- reduction training seminars in March. Hurdle said members of all fraternities and sororities are required to attend.

“Failure to have 100 percent chapter attendance will result in a complete loss of social privileges through Fall 2017,” Hurdle wrote in the email.

The seminars will be held on March 7 and March 29.

“This is done out of caution so nothing else happens,” Smith said. “We are being proactive.”