*Editor’s Note: This story first published Dec. 17, but was updated on Dec. 19 to clarify the role of the FSP and IFC.

University of Arizona’s Fraternity & Sorority Programs suspended all on-campus fraternity social events through the remaining two weeks of the fall 2022 semester.

The cancellation came after a plethora of policy violations and an increase in unsafe environments at house parties and other events, according to an email from the FSP’s Greer Vinall, assistant director of community development. 

In the email, Vinall said all on-campus fraternity social events would not be registered from Nov. 8 through Dec. 8 after the FSP, which oversees UA Greek Life on campus, received a number of reported incidents through UAPD that violated the social events policy.  Third-party social events were still able to be registered though.

UAPD officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Marcos Guzman, the assistant dean of students and director of Fraternity & Sorority Programs at the UA, said FSP received a minimum of three reports per week containing incidents at on-campus fraternities. He is also the primary advisor to the Interfraternity Council, a governing body of 20 fraternities.

Policy violations include – but are not limited to — minors in possession, public exposure, disorderly conduct and driving under the influence, according to Guzman. One student cracked their head open at a frat party and received little to no medical attention, according to Guzman. 

He also said that fraternities have provided hard alcohol in unmonitored jugs with no dispersal system. Hard alcohol at on-campus social events is a major policy violation, according to Guzman and the FSP social events policy. 

“The overall behavior of individuals and host organizations was getting out of hand. We need the community to understand that we will respond when behavior threatens the health and safety of members,” Guzman said. “The care and commitment that is boasted about during recruitment that comes with being a member of a Greek organization is nearly non-existent.”

The pause to on-campus social events is an effort to realign Greek Life priorities and solve what Guzman calls a “community issue.” It is a proactive measure taken before situations inevitably get worse and to prevent the Dean of Students Office and/or the university president from implementing more restrictive action. 

Some IFC students believe the cancellation of fall social events is the first step to ending Greek life at UA altogether. 

“A huge reason why a lot of people come to Arizona is for the Greek life. They’re basically shutting down fraternity and sorority life, and if they continue to cancel on-campus events then no one is going to want to join a house,” Ian McWilliams, senior member of Theta Xi, said. “How I see it is UAPD being very apathetic toward Greek life.” 

McWilliams and members of his house suggest that UAPD and FSP come up with a joint plan to surveil safety at on-campus social events rather than shutting them down entirely. 

FSP has updated its social event training requirements for members of the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils. All chapters must complete a social events training Jan. 9, 2023, and an alcohol education and risk mitigation program facilitated by the chapter’s headquarters personnel. Specifically for IFC fraternities, the president, social chair, risk manager and an additional five members must complete the Arizona alcohol training for universities, “TiPS Univeristy Training.” 

 *El Inde Arizona is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.  

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Twitter