Announcing the sanctions on Monday against the Pi Kappa Alpha
fraternity, officials at the Bozeman-based school said they wanted
to act swiftly in light of a federal probe last year into complaints
that the University of Montana in Missoula had mishandled rape
reports.
Pi Kappa Alpha is one of two fraternities near the Bozeman campus at
the center of investigations stemming from allegations by two female
students that they were sexually assaulted in separate incidents
over one weekend in September.
Montana State immediately placed Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi
fraternities under suspension as it opened inquiries into the two
report, and the school's findings were turned over to a state
prosecutor, said Matt Caires, the dean of students.
While the state's attorney will decide whether to bring criminal
charges, the university has cited Pi Kappa Alpha for violations of
the school's alcohol and student-conduct codes, Caires said.
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The university has not said what further disciplinary action, if
any, it might take against Sigma Chi.
The University of Montana reached an agreement in May with the U.S.
Justice and Education Departments to reform its procedures for
responding to rape allegations.
The settlement followed a yearlong federal investigation into
complaints the Missoula campus had failed to aggressively pursue at
least 11 sexual assault reports by students, three of them leveled
against members of the school football team.
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One of those football players was sentenced to 10 years in prison
last year after pleading guilty to raping a woman at his residence
in 2010.
"We watched the University of Montana's struggles, and the lesson
that came away from that was we needed to respond quickly and
thoroughly when rape allegations come forward," Caires said.
As part of the sanctions unveiled on Monday, Pi Kappa Alpha is
prohibited from serving hard liquor at future gatherings, though
beer and wine will be allowed.
However, the fraternity is required to designate several of its
members to stay sober on those occasions to "ensure all intoxicated
guests are escorted home and not taken advantage of, sexually or
otherwise," according to an agreement reached with the university.
"We want our fraternity to be safe and our members to be
responsible," Pi Kappa Alpha president Jack Murrey said in a
prepared statement.
(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman; editing by Steve Gorman and Mohammad Zargham)
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