Dean of Students Allen Groves spoke at a controversial Student Council meeting Tuesday, as Council passed the “Resolution to Condemn Recent Fraternity Hazing Incidents Bill” in light of the recent turmoil in the University’s Greek system.
Groves said he wanted to clarify that safety concerns motivated his decision to mandate all fraternities end their pledging processes and initiate new members earlier this month.
“We and the system cannot take that kind of hit,” he said, in reference to fear of a hazing casualty.
Groves, a member of the Pi Kappa fraternity and a chairman to the North-American Interfraternity Conference, said he is not broadly opposed to fraternities. He said his concerns of hazing arose from pledges, parents and faculty members contacting him about the incidents.
Kappa Alpha was suspended April 11 pending further investigations, and at least four other fraternities are either currently under investigation or will be soon. Groves called the hazing incidents a “systemic problem,” and while he acknowledged forcing initiation was perhaps over-inclusive of fraternities without hazing issues, he said student safety was his top priority.
To prevent further University intervention, Groves and other administrators plan to meet with fraternity leaders in the early fall.
With the signing of the bill, the Council “… encourages all stakeholders to develop solutions to prevent hazing at the University of Virginia that do not infringe on student self-governance or hinder the internal activities of the Greek organizations not under reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.”
Before approving the bill, Council members argued about its merits, its tone — some calling it passive aggressive — and its specific focus on Greek life. College Representative Peter Finocchio, a third-year College student, proposed the bill for the main purpose of encouraging the Inter-Fraternity Council and the University to work together in a positive manner.
Council also voted to pass a bill renaming its sustainability committee and one to approve its 2013 Summer Budget.
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