Blake AlsupThe Ole Miss chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity is facing charges related to hazing and alcohol.
“We met with the Office of Conflict (Resolution and Student Conduct) today, and we will be facing charges related to hazing, providing alcohol to minors, alcohol possession and an unregistered social event,” Beta chapter president Chauncey Mullins said in a Facebook post to the Beta Beta Parents group.
Mullins said that no active or new members were harmed in the incidents leading to the investigation.
“We have remained as transparent as possible with the university, General Fraternity, chapter alumni and parents,” Mullins said in a statement to The Daily Mississippian. “This student organization, like many others, seeks to offer its members a positive and beneficial experience. We look forward to working with the university and the General Fraternity to continue providing that experience.”
It’s unclear whether or not the charges are from the university or the Beta Theta Pi at a national level. When asked to clarify, Mullins declined to comment.
“We are currently working with the university, the General Fraternity, and our advisers to provide a resolution for improvement in risk management which will include some type of social probation, anti-hazing education, new risk management standards and alcohol awareness programs,” Mullins said in the post to the Beta Beta Parents group.
Jim Zook, associate vice chancellor for strategic communication and marketing, declined to comment on the charges because the case is still pending.
Beta Theta Pi was chartered on the Ole Miss campus in 1879, and as of spring 2018, the fraternity had 155 active members. Last semester, 1.29 percent of the chapter’s members committed alcohol-related violations and 0.65 percent of the chapter’s members committed “other” violations, which can include unregistered events, unauthorized entry, disorderly conduct and respect for property. Members of all but two IFC fraternities on the Ole Miss campus committed violations last semester, according to the university’s office of Fraternal Leadership and Learning’s spring scorecard.
