Wesleyan University has banned its students from the off-campus house of the school's Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
According to the Huffington Post, Wesleyan cited "a long history of incidents there" as the reason for the ban. Students living in the house have been given until Sept. 15 to find another housing option.
The school made its official announcement Wednesday, stating the house will be off-limits for students "for the rest of the academic year at least." Wesleyan's Beta Theta Pi chapter, also known as Mu Epsilon, was not officially recognized by the school and was under probation from the national organization.
"We have lost confidence in the ability of the fraternity members to manage social and residential activities at the house and abide by university policies," Wesleyan President Michael Roth and Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Whaley wrote in a letter to the student body. "Wesleyan has an obligation to do what it reasonably can to ensure the safety of every member of the community, including the Beta fraternity members and their guests."
Jud Horras, administrative secretary of the Beta Theta Pi national organization, told the HP his office is cooperating with Wesleyan's review. Horras also said Mu Epsilon is now under suspension from the national office.
"Beta Theta Pi has enjoyed 125 years at Wesleyan, but the chapter has been in the midst of an extensive period of self-renewal and reorganization following several years of challenging behavior," he said in a statement. "Moving forward and building positively on that reality, Beta Theta Pi must continue to accept responsibility for its members' actions that have not lived up to the expectations of the University, community and larger General Fraternity. To that end, effective immediately, the Fraternity is downgrading the chapter's status from 'Probation' to 'Suspension.'"
According to the Hartford Courant, a female student fell from the house's roof Sunday during a party. The student's condition was recently upgraded to stable, but the fall left her seriously injured.
Wesleyan had previously warned students to avoid the house because it could not ensure the safety of the off-site building. Past sexual assault lawsuits have given the frat house an ominous reputation.
