Delta Sigma Phi put on probation after date party

After an incident involving “overly intoxicated” members, Delta Sigma Phi is on probation until late April, said Collleen Wood, director of Student Conduct. Photo by Bonnie Cash

Chapman’s Delta Sigma Phi fraternity chapter was put on probation after an unspecified incident involving intoxicated members at Boomers! Parks in Irvine, where the fraternity had its first date party Oct. 6, university administrators said.

Colleen Wood, director of Student Conduct, told The Panther that the fraternity’s national headquarters put the chapter on probationary status Oct. 26. The probation will last through the end of April, Wood said.

“This (incident) didn’t involve a lot of investigation. We talked with the (chapter) president in conjunction with the national office,” Wood said. “There’s not much question about what occurred.”
Wood declined to go into detail about what the violation was, but she said there was some concerning behavior and that the event was planned poorly.

“There were overly intoxicated individuals who weren’t abiding by rules of the establishment,” Wood said.
The probation will limit the fraternity’s social events, especially those with alcohol, Dean of Students Jerry Price told The Panther. Delta Sigma Phi is also required to be supervised during its new member trainings.

The chapter is complying with the directives from their national office, Wood wrote in an email to The Panther.

“There’s always some training and education requirements for chapter leaders,” Price said. “During their probation, (members of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity are) expected to do additional things with training and education.”

Price said that, as of now, there will be no actions taken that will affect other chapters.

“We think the policies we have are sufficient. It’s a requirement for every fraternity and sorority to adhere to the national organization’s policies,” Price said. “Most of these (social) events happen off campus, and it’s hard to get information (to conduct) an investigation.”

Price also said his staff may be adjusting the criteria it takes for a chapter to be found responsible for a violation.

“In the past, we were reluctant to proceed,” he said. “We may rethink how much information we need to be able to take action.”

Connor Pierce, president of Chapman’s Delta Sigma Phi chapter at Chapman, did not respond to a request for comment from The Panther.

Phillip Rodriguez, executive director for the Delta Sigma Phi headquarters, wrote in an email to The Panther that Chapman’s chapter “continues to be a committed member of the community,” but did not comment on the specific incident.

In October, Rodriguez wrote in an email to The Panther that the fraternity has “zero tolerance” for members who choose not to live up to the values of Delta Sigma Phi.

“We are working in partnership with the Department of Student Engagement to hold those who violated our policies responsible,” Rodriguez wrote in October. “The Chapman community deserves, and can expect, a better fraternity experience than what some of those men delivered.”