Alcohol bottles found at fraternity

The president of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity will be meeting with Assistant Dean of Students Steve Veldkamp today after an IU Police Department officer shut down a party after finding alcohol bottles at the house late Wednesday night. \nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said Officer Scott Dunning was forced to stop in front of the Phi Kappa Sigma house around midnight because two taxi cabs were blocking off the street. Minger said Dunning was behind one of the cabs but couldn't go anywhere, and it was at that point that he saw 10 subjects coming from the house.\n"They were all carrying red cups out of the house," Minger said. "They started walking toward those cabs, and one of them said, 'It's a fucking cop -- dump the alcohol,' and they all threw their cups out of the way, except one female subject who was kind of standing there. Then one guy turns to her and knocks it over and says, 'Get rid of it before he catches you.'"\nWhile none of the fraternity members were arrested, one misdemeanor citation for illegal consumption of alcohol was issued to a student exiting the house. Although IUPD will not take any action against the fraternity, the case has been handed over to Dean of Students Richard McKaig to assess whether University regulations were violated.\nPolice spoke to house President Mike Freidman, as well as McKaig, about the situation, Minger said.\n"The president was cooperative with officers and allowed them into the house," Minger said. "Our officers went through the house where they saw several male subjects with mops and trash cans. They later located a 32-gallon trash can full of Rolling Rock beer bottles and a bottle of vodka."\nMinger said Friedman told officers they had not been serving alcohol. \nFriedman declined to comment on the situation until after today's meeting with Veldkamp.\nThe IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct states: "Student organizations that serve or permit possession of alcoholic beverages at student organization functions, on or off campus, may be disciplined if violations of alcoholic beverage laws or of University regulations occur. Individual students who plan, sponsor, or direct such functions also may be subject to discipline."\nMcKaig said the facts of the case must be examined before pointing fingers and that no case can be pre-judged.\n"Judicial boards or hearing officers have to hear the facts, and they have to see there is clear and convincing evidence that University regulations have been violated," McKaig said. "You'd start with the question: 'Is there reasonable evidence?' And then you would have the hearing."\nMcKaig said factors such as the citation issued outside the house and the bottles found would be specific examples of what needed to be examined.\n"We would have to listen to the fraternity's explanation," he said. "I won't receive the report until next Wednesday, and if it goes further, (the case will go to) the Office of Student Ethics the Wednesday after Little 500. Little 500 is a busy weekend, so it will probably go with several cases as opposed to being the only one -- that makes the process longer."\nMcKaig said when the hearing will occur really depends upon the caseload and whether the claims are deemed legitimate.\n"This is the kind of thing that could be a case that gets heard at the beginning of the next school year, or maybe after finals," McKaig said. "It could take a couple weeks to get things into the system."\n-- Contact staff writer Mallory Simon at mgsimon@indiana.edu.