Ohio University statement regarding Women’s Panhellenic Association and professional fraternity organizations

As of Wednesday, October 9, Ohio University has received reported allegations of hazing by three sororities governed by the Women’s Panhellenic Association (WPA) and by one professional fraternity.

Today, the University has issued a Cease and Desist order to Delta Zeta’s Omicron Gamma chapter; Chi Omega’s Tau Alpha chapter; Pi Beta Phi’s Ohio Alpha chapter; and Phi Chi Theta. These chapters also received notification of an administrative investigation by the University.

Details of these allegations will not be publicly disclosed to protect the integrity of the University’s investigatory process. The Ohio University Police Department has reviewed initial allegations of the four organizations listed above, and so far, none of those have risen to the level of actionable criminal activity. The police routinely coordinate with those conducting the administrative investigations, and if additional information emerges to suggest a crime occurred, the policy will get involved immediately. 
 

We take every allegation of hazing very seriously. At this time, we do not have reason to believe there is a systemic culture issue within the Women’s Panhellenic Association organizations nor within our professional fraternal organizations. However, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and the University reserves the right to take additional action as needed at any time.

The University encourages anyone who has been subjected to or witnessed hazing, to report it by using this link:  https://www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/community-standards/report-incident.  

And, the University, guided by the leadership of the Division of Student Affairs, will continue its work to partner with students and other campus stakeholders to develop proactive measures to build a healthy culture and environment for our students.