In just the second week of the fall semester, students at the College of Charleston were notified that all alcohol-related social activities for fraternities and sororities have been suspended.
In a message from college President Glenn McConnell sent Tuesday evening, the campus community was informed that the ban on individual chapters will be lifted once each group has been reviewed and each chapter’s members have successfully completed additional training regarding alcohol and substance abuse, associated high-risk behavior and bystander intervention.
“This is not a knee-jerk reaction to an isolated incident, but rather a serious response to a series of dangerous behaviors connected to some members of our fraternities and sororities, ranging from disruptive parties out in the community this month to recent medical transports related to extreme intoxication,” McConnell stated. “Enough is enough. This type of reckless and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. While we have a robust and comprehensive education and disciplinary conduct process for drug and alcohol abuse, clearly the message is not getting through to all students.”
Earlier in the week, the College of Charleston was ranked as the No. 15 Party School in the 2017 edition of Princeton Review’s annual college rankings. No specific alcohol-related incidents were mentioned in McConnell’s announcement, but he did go on to express his willingness to champion the college’s fraternity and sorority community, while also holding them to a higher standard of civility, integrity, and respect.
“Unfortunately, what I have learned about some of our Greek members recently greatly disappoints me. As we have seen, the behavior of a few can soil the reputation of all,” he stated. “Let me be clear: It’s not just our Greek students who have work to do. Our entire college community shares in the responsibility for cultivating the type of university we want to be. The College is a family. Together, we — the entire campus — are resolved to make our community better, and we are determined to address this problem here and now.”
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