National headquarters suspends Sig Ep for alcohol use

The national headquarters for Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep) temporarily suspended Miami University's fraternity chapter after a staff member stopped by the fraternity's house for a scheduled visit and found discarded beers cans and signs of drinking games on Sunday, April 14.

The national organization decided to suspend Sig Ep the following day while they investigate whether or not the chapter violated the organization's substance-free facility regulations.

Those rules, passed in August 2017 by Sig Ep's undergraduate legislative body, strictly prohibit the presence and use of alcohol, marijuana or any controlled substances without a prescription in the fraternity house.

"We decided to pause operations at the Ohio Eta chapter while we investigate the situation and determine necessary next steps to enhance safety and promote the personal development on which the Sig Ep experience should be based," Sig Ep's chief communications officer, Heather Kirk, wrote in an email to The Miami Student.

No one has reported or shown any sign of injury resulting from Sig Ep's alcohol use, Kirk wrote.

Miami has not received any reports involving SigEp, either, director of university news and communications, Claire Wagner said.

"Miami has not received a complaint and is not investigating," she wrote in an email to The Student.

Both Miami's interfraternity council president and junior Grant Zehnder and Sig Ep chapter president and sophomore Sam Demmler did not respond to requests for comment.

Sig Ep is the third fraternity this semester to face sanctions from Miami and/or their national headquarters. Theta Chi and Delta Tau Delta (Delts) were summarily suspended by Miami earlier this semester while the Office of Community Standards (OCS) reviews their cases. Phi Delta Theta, Phi Psi Omega, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Nu, Kappa Sigma and Zeta Beta Tau are the seven other fraternities currently on summary suspension from Miami or removed from campus.

doyleca3@miamioh.edu

@cadoyle_18