Oregon State fraternity on track for reinstatement

CORVALLIS, Ore. – After a toga party resulting in the hospitalization of two minors, nearly 80 charges and two arrests, the Oregon State University chapter of Phi Delta Theta is on track for reinstatement.

University officials suspended the chapter after the city of Corvallis charged the fraternity with 39 counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and 39 counts of hosting a party for minors in connection with a Dec. 4, 2015, party at the Phi Delta Theta house, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported (http://bit.ly/2qYGw0m) Saturday.

The international fraternity also ordered the local fraternity to cease all operations.

But university officials say the local chapter returned to being considered a recognized student organization at OSU on March 24 after meeting all the conditions of its suspension. The remaining 88 fraternity members worked over 100 hours of community services and participated in risk management training, according to officials.

“They messed up and made some big mistakes, and they knew it and took ownership of it,” said John Lidstrom, adviser for all Oregon chapters of Phi Delta Theta. “People make mistakes. But the way I always measure people is how they learn from it.”

Fraternity members called police for help Dec. 4, 2015, to report an intoxicated female who needed medical attention. Police found two women under the age of 21 who needed hospitalization for alcohol overdose, and a third woman who required a medical evaluation.

Chapter President Chase Fettig has expressed remorse for what happened that night.

“We know that at the end of the day safety is more important and (making the phone call) was the right decision. But what wasn’t the right decision was all of the factors that led up to that moment,” he said. “We made a lot of really bad mistakes that night, and we feel lucky to be able to prove that those mistakes do not reflect who we are as a chapter.”