Fraternities Suspended Due To Fight Two WSU Houses Prohibited From Recruiting Members

Washington State University suspended two fraternities involved in a weekend brawl and is prohibiting members from contacting each other.

Members of Delta Tau Delta and Phi Delta Theta will lose recognition and privileges while an investigation is conducted by the university, officials said Thursday.

“It is normal protocol to suspend a fraternity before the formal disciplinary process has been completed, particularly when a fraternity has been involved in a conduct case of this magnitude,” said George Bettas, WSU dean of students.

“If the allegations are proved, there will be serious consequences for the fraternities involved. The kind of behavior being attributed to these two houses is simply not acceptable at WSU,” he said.

The action came after Pullman police made a second felony arrest on Wednesday related to a brawl in the early morning hours last Saturday. One student from each fraternity has been arrested for hitting someone with a golf club. Police say other charges are likely.

Both Phi Delta Theta and Delta Tau Delta were issued a letter of suspension detailing the restrictions WSU has imposed during the investigation. Though WSU’s alcohol policy allows drinking in the private rooms of those who are legal age, the two fraternities’ members, guests and alumni are now restricted from consuming or storing alcohol.

Neither house may participate in rush or actively recruit new members, and members of the two fraternities may not have contact with each other.

“It’s not the best thing that could happen, but we knew somewhere along the line the school would have to do something,” said Delta Tau Delta President Daniel Gall, 20.

Gall said he first heard about the suspension when a radio talk show host called him to talk live on the air about the matter.

“Hopefully our side of the story will be heard, and we will be able to present the facts at the conduct hearing.”

Pullman is expected to stay relatively quiet this weekend, with many students headed out of town for spring break.

Last weekend’s brawl erupted from a feud that had been brewing for weeks, with each fraternity claiming the other had damaged house property, according to police.

Tensions increased late last Friday and early Saturday after two men - one from each fraternity - got into two separate scuffles on Greek Row. The free-for-all began on the Delta Tau Delta porch when a group of Phi Delta Theta members arrived around 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

Approximately half a dozen men from each fraternity were injured, several of them requiring hospital treatment. The fight involved approximately 50 people, police said, who were using golf clubs, flashlights, sticks and other objects.

Preliminary police reports describe the student behavior as violations of several WSU policies, including the conduct code, Greek policies, and the Fraternal Organization Agreement, university officials said.

After a pre-hearing review is completed, formal hearings before the university conduct board are likely. It’s not the first time WSU has experienced such feuding among living groups.

In the early ‘90s, a similar situation occurred between Kappa Sigma and Delta Upsilon, two fraternities that are no longer on campus.

Two WSU committees commissioned by the provost have been studying various aspects of Greek life - including academics, safety, management and behavior - since last fall. The committees are expected to release a joint report later this month detailing rigorous new regulations and standards for fraternities and sororities.