Fraternity expelled for alcohol violations

Dean of Students Richard McKaig expelled the Delta Xi chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, 1012 E. Third St., from campus for alcohol-related violations Thursday. The chapter expulsion is effective for at least two years.\nPi Kappa Alpha president Timothy Kolar stood in front of every member of his house, struggling to read the statement given to him by the nine undergraduate members of the greek judicial board. He had the responsi bility of telling his brothers that they could no longer be united under the Pi Kappa Alpha name.\nPi Kappa Alpha -- the fifth fraternity chapter expelled within the last 18 months -- will appeal the decision, Kolar said. The appeal will take place sometime in the next 14 days, when a committee of three individuals will rehear the case. Kolar hopes the board of appeals reduces the expulsion to one year.\nThe University summarily suspended the chapter Sept. 19, after a sophomore pledge was taken to the hospital with a blood alcohol content more than four times the legal limit. The student, whose name was not released, apparently drank Jim Beam whiskey with his house "father" after a fraternity function, McKaig said.\nThe student was later released from Bloomington Hospital.\nIn 1998, the chapter was suspended from campus after the alcohol related death of then-sophomore member Joseph Bisanz.\nActing on the recommendation of the greek judicial board, McKaig found Pi Kappa Alpha responsible for violations of the University's Disciplinary Procedures for Student Organizations. In addition, the board found the fraternity responsible for failing to comply with disciplinary sanctions from Feb. 1999.\nIt took two days for the greek judicial board to finalize its unanimous decision. McKaig said he thinks the sanction is reasonable, based on the conditions set down for the chapter after Bisanz's death.\n"J-board does want to send a message that they are serious about these issues," McKaig said. "(Pi Kappa Alpha) had full and fair warning."\nAlthough expulsion prohibits the house from participating in campus activities, McKaig said it was up to the house corporation to completely close the Third Street house.\n"We do expect the chapter house to close sometime in the near future ... but that is private property," he said.\nExpulsion from the campus means that Pi Kappa Alpha is no longer a recognized member of the IU greek system, and effective immediately may no longer function as a student organization on the IUB campus. It will be unable to participate in intramural sports, social events, and campus activities such as Homecoming, IU Dance Marathon, IU Sing, and Little 500.\nTuesday's hearing lasted two hours, Kolar said. The senior presented Pi Kappa Alpha's case to the judicial board for an hour, followed by a one hour question-and-answer period. McKaig said the individual who was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning also appeared and told the judicial board no one forced him to drink.\nKolar and house officers Andy Bien, a senior, and Mike Haas, a junior, accompanied chapter adviser Timothy Haskell, a graduate student, to Assistant Dean of Students Jim Gibson's office, where they were read the sanctions.\n"We prepared ourselves for the worst," Kolar said.\nKolar said he was disappointed the chapter has been kicked off campus after attempting to rebuild its name.\n"We have one of the highest GPAs on campus ... everyone is involved (in activities)," he said. "That is why it took them two days to make the decision."\nHaskell became the advisor of Delta Xi chapter in August, and has been living in the chapter house since the beginning of the year. He said he was saddened by the decision, especially after IU made an effort to work with the chapter.\n"It is unfortunate that the chapter has come to this crossroad," he said in a statement. "I am disappointed that the chapter had to face this decision."\nDespite the sanctions, Haskell said he enjoyed his time with the men of Delta Xi, and his primary purpose now is to support the students.\n"Chapter members realize that this is a hard decision to hear," he said. "There are a number of emotions each student is feeling at this point ... but they are doing the mature and responsible thing."\nAfter the fraternity's suspension in September, Eric Wulf, the fraternity's national executive director, told the IDS that when Pi Kappa Alpha was reinstated last year, the fraternity\'s national governing body had not heard of any problems with its IU chapter until a local alumnus notified them of the recent incident.\n"At the time in 1998, we worked very closely with the University," Wulf said. "If the school or nationals knew we were going to have problems again down the road, we might have chosen a different action."\nEric Wulf could not be reached for comment Thursday.