Five out of six Wofford fraternities suspended after holding weekend parties

Five out of six Interfraternity Council (IFC) organizations at Wofford have been suspended indefinitely.

With an outbreak of coronavirus cases at Wofford, students have taken to silent witness forms to report parties and other social events both on-and off-campus. 

Administration has used the silent witness reports to identify what organizations the reported students belong to. According to a Wofford Greek life source, the organizations received word of their suspension without warning or being informed of the silent witness reports.

Members of these five fraternities declined to comment on their organizations’ suspensions. 

“The administration is still investigating the events which led to these suspensions. IFC prides itself as being a proud part of Wofford’s community and will do our due diligence to get to the bottom of these matters,” said IFC president Michael Ferro ‘22, 

Ferro did not identify which fraternities had been suspended, but an anonymous source within the IFC community confirmed that these organizations include Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Nu, Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

The source said that these fraternities are being punished as a result of large, off-campus parties, rush events and small, on-campus gatherings. A memorandum sent to presidents of Panhellenic organizations echoed that “the silent witness form has been active. This is how the fraternities got in trouble.”

What does it mean when a fraternity is suspended?

“For more than 25 years, the college has temporarily suspended chartered organizations when incidents occur that could be in violation of the college’s policies,” said Hammet. “College staff use the time to meet with organization officers, members and complete an investigation.”

The investigations can last from a couple of days to several weeks, depending on whether or not the school decides to consult with each organization’s national office. Hammett said that Wofford’s administration works with each organization’s president to determine the facts of the reported incident as well as to determine solutions. 

“It has been a fair and consistent way to respond to challenges,” said Hammet.

IFC organizations were scheduled to hold formal recruitment the weekend of Jan. 30. As a result of the recent suspensions, it has been pushed to begin on Feb. 11. 

Rumors swirled around campus that IFC organizations would be allowed to hold formal recruitment events in-person as long as each house did not exceed 15 people. At the beginning of the school year, Wofford Panhellenic announced that all recruitment events would be virtual.

As to whether or not IFC recruitment would be virtual, Hammett said, “The informal and formal process will abide by the respective level of alert we’re in.”

Along with IFC organizations, sororities at Wofford also find themselves at risk of being suspended if  “credible allegations of violations exist,” said Hammett.

When asked about best practices for campus leaders to ensure their organization is not suspended, Hammett and Dean Hurley said, “The best advice we can offer is to follow all the COVID guidelines and college policies and make self-care a daily practice. We understand at varying levels we’re all experiencing the continued stress and anxiety of the pandemic so we must prioritize our mental and physical health. Remember we are here to help.  Send us your questions and concerns.  Let’s keep the lines of communication open.”