The University of Central Florida suspended the Beta Theta Pi fraternity for two years on Tuesday. It was effective immediately, and stops the fraternity from gathering on campus or participating as an organization in university – sponsored events. Tuesday’s action by the administration ratifies a recommendation made last week by a special panel of students, faculty and staff that held two days of closed hearings. The panel looked into possible violations of student – conduct rules stemming from a visit by about 70 fraternity members to Beta Theta Pi headquarters in Oxford, Ohio, in November. The university would not say, and Oxford police left unclear in a report, how many fraternity members were investigated.
Police were looking into a number of allegations, including a sexual incident involving fraternity members and an intoxicated woman. The woman told police she had met one of the fraternity members at a bar and went back to the hotel. She told the police that she was so drunk, that she did not remember a lot of details except waking up naked the next morning while a number of men were packing up and preparing to leave. She later told police she was in counseling and would not be pressing charges.
The panel at UCF unanimously found the fraternity violated rules related to charges of harmful behavior, sexual misconduct, falsification of information and alcohol – related misconduct. The fraternity accepted responsibility for the alcohol – related misconduct charge and separate allegation of theft/disregard for property, according to the statement from UCF.