Pi Kappa Alpha Put on Social Probation

By Emily Davis and Emma Nortje

Pi Kappa Alpha, commonly called Pike, has recently incurred social probation after hosting an unauthorized party on the evening of Jan. 30, resulting in four students being sent to the hospital for excessive alcohol intake.

Bruce Harshbarger, vice president of Student Affairs, stated that by having risk awareness measures implemented, organizations are making sure that a third party, sober vendor is present to check that everyone drinking is of legal age, to monitor behavior and watch for the warning signs associated with high levels of intoxication.

At a meeting held by Pike on Feb. 11, former recruitment chair, Wyatt Tanner, stated that the event was not registered. President of the fraternity, Barrett Cross, said that it was unregistered because the fraternity had wanted to make sure that all age groups could drink. Cross and other representatives from Pike recognized at the meeting that this was an irresponsible action.

“The way we acted, there was no excuse.”

Jimmy Shea,

Pike brother 

Also at the meeting, it was discussed that all fraternity and sorority social events where alcohol will be present must be authorized by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

According to Cross, the unmonitored party was shut down by a public safety officer who arrived at the Pike house around midnight in response to a noise complaint. Cross and a few of his fraternity brothers cleared the house. Of the many people who attended and left the party, four arrived at the emergency room later in the night citing that they had been to the Pike house prior to their admittance.

According to statements made by Stacey Milner, assistant director of Georgia College Fraternity and Sorority Life, test results showed that there were no traces of drugs in any of the patients systems, only high levels of intoxication. According to Harshbarger, one freshman girl had a BAC of .30, which is four times higher than the legal limit, .08, for someone of age.

“When we have these events and don’t put in these risk awareness measures people begin to speak poorly, falsely believing the stereotype that surrounds our fraternity because of other chapters. None of which have incidents that actually relate to this chapter,” Cross said in reference to the negative outcomes that arise from hosting an unauthorized event.

In regards to consequences for the party, Georgia College Fraternity and Sorority Life, commonly known as IFC, will be working alongside representatives from Pike’s national office.

“They have a phenomenal risk management awareness policy and handbook,” Milner said. “We would be using that along with help from their national headquarters to make sure that they are following the policy, [and] being preventative and safe with not only themselves, but with their peers.”

At the meeting, along with taking questions from students and community members alike, Cross and other members of Pike expressed their apologies. Tanner was the first to say, “We are truly sorry.”

“The way we acted, there was no excuse,” Pike brother, Jimmy Shea said.