Fraternities that violate cease-and-desist order may be disciplined, KU officials say
On Sunday, the chancellor of the University of Kansas issued a cease and desist order for two KU fraternities. University officials said in a statement Monday that a violation of the order, which bans all unsanctioned activities, could be punishable.
In a public statement posted Sunday, Chancellor Douglas Girod issued a cease and desist order for Kappa Sigma and Phi Kappa Psi, citing violations of health guidelines as students returned to campus amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Pending the outcome of a formal hearing, any events, programs, or activities not explicitly approved by the University of Kansas Sorority and Fraternity Life office and/or headquarters are to cease immediately,” Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a KU spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement Monday.
If either of the fraternities hold unsanctioned events during the cease-and-desist order, they could face disciplinary action, she continued.
According to the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, an array of repercussions are possible when students commit “non-academic misconduct offenses.”
These can include a written warning, a fine, disciplinary suspension that can last up to two years, community service, suspension or expulsion.
KU’s Interfraternity Council and Panhellinic Council, which govern the school’s Greek houses, did not immediately respond to The Star’s request for comment Monday.
However, KU Interfraternity Council President Joe Davidson announced Friday on Twitter that they were issuing a temporary moratorium on all social events, as they are “not considered in the best interest of the community.”
This includes outdoor recruitment events and any situation in which an outside observer “would likely perceive the event as a sponsored organization,” the release reads.
The chancellor’s order came the day after a video of an angry exchange between a Lawrence motorist and Kappa Sigma members went viral.
The video shows the motorist, Jacob Schooler, exchange words with students and a woman outside the fraternity house after, Schooler says, he mistakenly pulled into their driveway and one of the members of the group threw an alcoholic drink into his car.
“There were a lot of white guys really drunk. It wasn’t a general fear but it was like, this is a bad situation,” Schooler told The Star. “I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
The Gamma-Omicron chapter of Kappa Sigma released a statement Sunday on Facebook in which they said they’d not yet “validated” Schooler’s statement that a beverage was thrown on him, though they offered an apology if true.
The Facebook page appeared to have been taken down by Monday morning.
“When confronted by our membership for maintaining his presence on private property, he became hostile, used aggressive language, and threatened to run over our members,” the now-missing statement read of Schooler.
The fraternity identified the men in the background of the video as residents of the chapter’s house. They said, in keeping with university guidelines, no outside guests are allowed on the property. All residents previously tested negative for coronavirus, they added.
The group was gathered outside to welcome new sorority pledges to KU, the statement continued. They identify the woman engaging with Schooler in the video as their house director who makes sure the house is sanitized twice a day and that members are complying with health orders, they said.
The local Kappa Sigma chapter could not be reached Monday morning.
On Thursday, the university announced that 89 people, all but two of whom were students, tested positive for COVID-19 at its Lawrence and Edwards campuses, according to initial results. The majority of the positive tests came from the college’s fraternity and sorority community, university officials said at the time.
Girod said he and other campus officials met with leaders of KU’s fraternities and sororities to stress the need to follow health and safety guidelines, though what those policies are weren’t specified in Girod’s public statement.
The university previously advised students to “avoid large gatherings.”
COVID-19 numbers on Missouri campuses
More than 150 University of Missouri students are positive for COVID-19, the school announced Monday, which was the first day of classes.
The 159 students are in isolation and none have required hospitalization, the school said in a news release.
“The university is constantly assessing the situation in relation to the number of cases, but also in our ability and capacity to address the number of cases we have. We are in regular communication with local and state public health officials as we consider the safest, most effective way to deliver education this semester,” said Mun Y. Choi, University of Missouri System president and MU chancellor.
The university is not releasing the positive test rate or information about where students may have contracted the virus. MU spokesman Christian Basi cited privacy concerns and said information from Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services captures the bigger picture of what is happening.
A total of 1,995 people have tested positive in the county, according to the health department, and six have died. There are 385 active cases.
A mask mandate went into effect in Columbia on July 10. Health officials say they’ve seen signs that it’s been successful in containing the spread of the virus.
The week before, from July 3-9, the positive test rate for the coronavirus was 15.8% there. In the several days after the ordinance went into effect, from July 10-16, that dropped to 6.2%. And the most recent positivity rate was 9.2%, still significantly lower than before masks were required in Columbia.
Scott Clardy, assistant director of Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, said that the county continues to see more and more young adults with COVID-19. And with MU starting back up, he’s concerned.
Nearly one-fourth of all COVID-19 cases in the county are from people ages 20 to 24. Overall, about 55% of the cases are in people under the age of 30.
“Given the fact we are bringing people in from all over the world, and we are already seeing an issue, it would be foolish of us to not expect some increases there,” Clardy said. “I hope I’m wrong. I would love to be wrong.”
The university said Monday that enrollment for the fall semester was 30,849, up 4% from last year. Fifty-one percent of the classes are face-to-face, 32.5% are online only and 16.5% are blended.
- At Missouri State University, 141 students, faculty and staff who were tested for the coronavirus in the last week have been diagnosed with the disease, university officials announced Monday. Three of those who tested positive were faculty and one was a staff member, university officials said. The rest were students. This number jumped significantly from the week of Aug. 16, when only 38 people had tested positive. Fall classes began Aug. 17.
- At UMKC, three COVID-19 cases have been reported since campus move-in started Aug. 17. In August, a total of 10 cases have been reported at the school. All 10 persons who tested positive are isolating off campus, according to a university official.
The Star’s Glenn E. Rice and Katie Moore contributed to this report
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 2:00 PM.
