System-Wide Actions

NIC Position: The NIC opposes system-wide actions that suspend activities for fraternity chapters that have no credible allegations of policy violations.

Clarifying Points:

  1. Per the IFC SOP, the NIC supports IFCs implementing a temporary restriction on events (see guidance in IFC SOP).
  2. The NIC supports the IFC collaborating with its host institution to implement a temporary period of restriction that aligns with the IFC SOP, especially in the wake of a student death.
  3. Per the IFC SOP, the NIC supports IFCs setting a cap on the number of events a chapter may host with alcohol per term (see guidance in IFC SOP).
  4. The NIC supports chapters voluntarily agreeing to shorten or adjust their new member  period if requested (but not required) by the IFC or host institution.

Rationale: Imposing a system-wide suspension of all activities on fraternity chapters with no allegations of misconduct is counter-productive for the following reasons:

  1. The NIC is committed to student development and strategies that address underlying issues affecting student safety. System-wide actions deprive students of the opportunity to learn and practice accountability and self-governance.
  2. Universities and fraternal partners should focus on proactively building healthy communities where students effectively govern themselves, establishing and practicing leadership prior to a crisis.
  3. Blanket actions penalizing individuals, absent evidence or facts, instill behaviors and beliefs misaligned with our nation’s laws and legal processes.
  4. It disincentivizes following the rules and taking care of each other, since responsible students are treated just like their peers who are causing problems.
  5. It undermines efforts to have students self-report problems because doing so may negatively affect a broad group of students not involved in the misconduct.
  6. It erodes trust between campus partners and students, alumni and inter/national organizations, because these actions are unilateral and lacking fundamental principles of fairness and due process.
  7. It advances the narrative among students and alumni that “the school is out to get rid of fraternities.” This narrative is hard to counter when chapter and community activities are suspended over the actions of a few individuals.
  8. The action causes predictable and unnecessary media over-reaction that labels all students as irresponsible which strains relationships among those unfairly and negatively impacted by the system-wide action.

Supporting Resources: