The University of Virginia (UVA) is not getting the smooth rollout they had envisioned for their new, strict guidelines for Greek group campus social events.
According to the Huffington Post, two fraternities - Kappa Alpha Order and Alpha Tau Omega - have refused to sign the Fraternal Organization Agreement released last week. The guidelines, detailed in an addendum, include the requirement of multiple members to remain sober during parties.
After the release of Rolling Stone's "A Rape on Campus" article, UVA cracked down on its Greek groups, placing them under temporary suspension. But after several key details in the article were refuted, the school lifted the suspension and implemented the new set of rules.
"The system-wide suspension, which was initiated for reasons that were found to be untrue, unfairly punished all members of fraternities and sororities," the two fraternities said in separate, similar statements. "It was maintained and used as leverage to require the changes to the FOA. Because we do not accept the validity of a suspension imposed in contravention of the existing FOA, university policy, Virginia law and the constitutional rights of our members, we are not compelled to sign a revised FOA to continue operations on campus."
UVA spokesman Anthony de Bruyn told the HP the addendum and agreement were crafted with student and Greek group representatives.
"We remain hopeful that all groups will commit to these reasonable protocols designed to improve student safety," he said.
KAO and ATO said their party policies were comprehensive enough, if not stricter than the ones UVA introduced. They suggested their refusal to sign the FOA was out of principal rather than defiance.
"Our chapter will comply with the more restrictive of the policies in its activities," the fraternities said. "We are concerned that the university's revision to the FOA may create new liability for individual members of our organizations that is more properly a duty to be borne by the university itself."
