Pi Kappa Phi was placed in interim suspension on Thursday. Credit: Caleb Blake | Lantern File Photo
Pi Kappa Phi was placed on interim suspension after a student was hospitalized following a fraternity event Wednesday night.?
The Office of Student Life and Student Conduct placed the fraternity on suspension Thursday. It is not permitted to host any social events or participate in any student organization activities such as recruitment, new member education and chapter and council events during the investigation, according to an email obtained by the Lantern.
“The chapter was placed on interim suspension because it was determined that there is reasonable cause to believe the organization’s activities pose a significant risk of substantial harm to the safety or security of their organization’s members, new members and/or others,” the email read.
It is unclear if the student was a member of the fraternity, as well as the condition of the student. Details about the event were also unavailable.
Ben Johnson, a university spokesperson, said in an email that the university has reached out to the organization’s national leadership to ensure that they are aware of the situation. Ohio State has also shared this information with local law enforcement and will assist any investigation as needed.
“Our hearts go out to the family of an Ohio State student who remains hospitalized after a fraternity event on Wednesday night,” Johnson said. “Ohio State is in contact with the student and his family, and the university has offered all possible support during this extremely difficult time.”
When asked about the suspension, the fraternity did not respond in time for publication.
The status of the fraternity can be reviewed on Ohio State’s student conduct website, where it lists that the current fraternities placed under suspension are Pi Kappa Phi and Kappa Delta Rho.
According to university documents, Pi Kappa Phi violated the student code of conduct’s alcohol protocol in February 2021, resulting in the chapter being placed on a restriction of events with alcohol until May of that year.
“The chapter hosted an event with alcohol and failed to successfully implement risk management practices,” the document states. “This resulted in guests under the age of 21 being provided and consuming alcohol. As a result of the alcohol which was provided and/or obtained, and the lack of risk management practices, more than one guest who attended this event experienced adverse reactions.”
According to the Pi Kappa Phi national website, the Ohio State chapter is listed as active and has been active since 2010.
