The University of Arizona announced the closure of one of its fraternities Tuesday because of a “series of incidents” involving hazing and alcohol use, officials said.
Beta Theta Pi’s actions created a dangerous pattern of behavior in its new member program and during social events, the Beta Theta Pi administration said in a letter July 7 that notified the school that the headquarters was suspending the local chapter’s charter.
The administration said it was continued actions that spanned several years along with defying interventions from the UA and the chapter administration that eventually led to the closure.
“The path that ultimately led to this decision culminated in 2018 when incidents related to hazing and alcohol resulted in a probationary period for the chapter as well as a membership review,” the fraternity’s administration said.
Beta Theta Pi was one of five fraternities investigated for code of conduct violations and punished during the spring 2018 semester.
The chapter was placed on interim full activities suspension, including no contact with new members.
However, the restriction of no contact with new members was lifted months later after a meeting between the fraternity president and UA administration.
In February, the Beta Theta Pi’s executive board initiated a second review of the UA chapter after “a new investigation found continued hazing — including new member activities with alcohol and servitude — and unsafe social events throughout the spring 2020 term,” the fraternity administration said.
