After receiving an “Unacceptable” rating in Lehigh University’s annual Accreditation process, the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity has lost both chapter recognition and university group housing privileges.
The decision came as the latest update in the organization’s status since being put on Disciplinary Deferred Dissolution and Disciplinary Probation after a hearing on May 14. The hearing found the fraternity responsible for Lehigh University Code of Conduct violations due to incidents that occurred on April 17 and 18 during which an underage student was sent to the hospital for severe intoxication.
Disciplinary Deferred Dissolution — which the organization had already been on through Dec. 31 — put the chapter in danger of immediate, review-less dissolution if any Code of Conduct policies were violated.
According to the university’s guidelines on the Accreditation process, a chapter earning a second consecutive rating of “Poor” results in the immediate revoke of housing privileges and chapter recognition.
For the 2011-2012 academic year, Lambda received a “Poor” rating on Accreditation, followed by a “Bronze” rating for the 2012-2013 year.
In the Accreditation categories of Leadership Development, Community Development, Organizational Development and Facilities Management, the chapter received all “Unacceptable” ratings.
The Committee’s report comments acknowledged practices that included falsification of testimony regarding the removal of a chapter member and violation of social policies after a Lambda Chi Alpha leadership consultant visited the chapter regarding alcohol policies. According to the Accreditation report, the chapter had spoken of the “effectiveness of their relationship with the Lambda Chi Alpha Leadership Consultants.”
The Committee recognized alcohol management as a prior Accreditation chapter development question and referred to the chapter’s practices as “intentional” and “high risk” in their policy violations.
The report also cited thousands of dollars worth of damages to the facility. According to the report, Residential Services met with the fraternity in September to address a tradition of urination in the facility’s southwest stairwell. After the fall semester closing, Residential Services discovered the tradition had continued throughout the fall. The stairwell was closed in February and scheduled for replacement with the cleaning costs paid by the fraternity, the report said.
In addition, the report indicated that the chapter lost $2,577 in furniture at the close of the facility in the spring, an amount four times that of any other chapter.
Also in the report, the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity had earned a “Bronze” rating in the Intellectual Development category in which they were recognized for having the highest GPA out of 18 Interfraternity Council Chapters. The chapter had achieved a 3.234 during the fall 2013 semester.
Lambda’s removal is the third Greek organization to be dissolved from Lehigh’s campus within two years after the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Delta Gamma sorority’s removals in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
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