Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity won’t be throwing any parties until mid-February, after failing to follow greek event guidelines.
The Interfraternity Council, the governing body of University fraternities, placed the local DKE chapter on social probation until Feb. 11.
The council made the decision at an informal judiciary hearing in mid-December after the fraternity held a date night without registering the event. Fraternities must register events with the council 72 hours prior to all functions, according to the council’s new risk management policy.
The fraternity is not allowed to hold any social events during its probation and several members of the fraternity might be facing a civil lawsuit.
A fight took place at the DKE house at an unregistered event on Dec. 8, which the council was made aware of after receiving the police reports.
Three men tried to enter the DKE house, thinking it was an open party, said Alec Catsuros, president of the Interfraternity Council.
Catsuros said it was clear that this was not a party, because fraternity members and their dates were dressed in formal attire.
But when the three men persisted and tried to enter anyway. An argument occurred between them and several fraternity members, Catsuros said.
Grady Linder, a business and marketing education senior, one of the three men trying to get into house, said he and two of his friends tried to get in because a woman in the house invited them.
Linder said that after the argument at the door, the fraternity members went back inside the house. He and his friends started walking away when about 10 fraternity members came out of the house and he was knocked unconscious, he said.
His friends later told him that as they were dragging him away, one of the members jumped up on him and started hitting him while he was unconscious.
By the time the police arrived, Linder and his friends were gone.
According to the police report, several of the fraternity members sustained minor injuries.
Linder filed a separate report with the police the next day and was treated at the Hennepin County Medical Center for a broken nose and cheekbone.
“I heard of many people die from the punches that I got,” he said. “I’m lucky not to get any permanent damage. Doctors were really surprised.”
Linder said he is in the process of filing a civil case against the individual who hit him while he was unconscious. He would not release the individual’s name.
The criminal case was closed by the Minneapolis police investigators, University Police Deputy Chief Steve Johnson said.
Johnson, whose department initially responded to the 911 call, said fights like this often happen because people assume they can go into a stranger’s home because they are having a party.
The same thing happens to students living in the neighborhoods, he said.
Sometimes these uninvited guests are there to unlock obscure windows, so they can later rob the house, he said.
“I think people should be very conscious about who they let into their house,” he said. “It sounds like a great idea at first; just having a big party and letting whoever in, but it’s flirting with danger.”
However, according to Clint Been, vice president of public relations for Interfraternity Council, the date night held at the DKE house was not a big party and about 20 people attended.
Chad Ellsworth, a University adviser to the greek community, said these incidents can never be fully prevented because there is always a “segment of society” that views the fraternity houses as a public space.
The council hopes to address these risk-management issues through several other requirements concluded at the judiciary meeting.
Been said DKE is not only on social probation, but also has to complete 50 hours of community service before the end of the semester, hold an information session on the new risk management policy for its members and a seminar for the greek community addressing risk management issues. A council member must also inspect any of the fraternity’s plans prior to its next social event.
The intruders are not facing any consequences for their actions.
Mark Peterson, vice president of judicial affairs for the Interfraternity Council, said it’s important for people to know that the other three individuals don’t have a governing body to hold them accountable for their actions, whereas the fraternity members do.
“These three individuals are just as responsible for what occurred, and they are not facing any consequences, whereas we are dealing with the situation,” he said.
Former DKE president Matt Mountain declined to comment.