Education

Florida University Brings Back Frats But Bans Booze

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Rob Shimshock Education Reporter
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A Florida university announced Monday that it was unsuspending fraternities and sororities, but banning booze at Greek events for the spring 2018 semester.

Florida International University suspended Greek life in mid-December, referencing “growing concerns” about the groups at FIU and nationwide, reported Miami Herald.

“Zero tolerance is our new normal at FIU,” university president Mark Rosenberg said in a statement obtained by Miami Herald. “The fate of Greek life has been hanging by a thread and this pause gave us the opportunity to recommit to our values and end the age of permissiveness and ambiguity that has hung over our Greek organizations for far too long.”

The school previously suspended its Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter in October after discovering a group chat containing photos of nude women, Holocaust memes, chats about drug sales, and rape/pedophilia jokes.

FIU suspended its Phi Gamma Delta chapter in October because of claims that the frat had served minors booze. The death of a female student after an off-campus social function triggered the 2015 suspension of the school’s Phi Gamma Delta chapter.

Neighboring school Florida State University suspended Greek life following the November death of Andrew Coffey, a student and pledge to the school’s Pi Kappa Phi chapter. The school subsequently allowed Greek organizations to recruit and perform community service, but an alcohol prohibition still exists. (RELATED: Florida State Bans Greek Life After Student Found Dead After Party)

“The issue is systemic, and not applicable to only a few groups,” FIY spokesman Larry Lunsford told The Daily Caller News Foundation, explaining why the school banned booze in all of its Greek chapters instead of a select few. “The response has been positive from the Greek community, with some actually welcoming the ban….A few comments from faculty have been totally supportive.”

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