University of Missouri withdraws recognition of Kappa Alpha

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Kappa Alpha fraternity will not be officially recognized at the University of Missouri for five years because it violated several standards of conduct, university officials announced Tuesday.

The action, which is effective immediately, means the fraternity cannot participate in campus activities and will not have access to some university facilities, such as auditoriums and meeting rooms. The fraternity also must pay a $1,000 judicial processing fee. Fraternity members will be allowed to continue their academic programs.

The university suspended the fraternity in October while it investigated an incident involving excessive alcohol use at Kappa Alpha, which already was on probation for another alcohol-related incident earlier in the semester in which the fraternity reportedly served alcohol to minors and illegally had hard liquor at a party.

The list of violations provided Tuesday by the university included hazing, obstruction of university activities, physical abuse or other conduct that threatens the health or safety of another person, threatening behavior, violating regulations involving housing, use or sale of alcohol or any controlled substance, failure to comply with university officials' directions. Details of the violations were not released.

The Columbia Tribune has reported that in late September, a fraternity pledge was taken to an emergency room after a vodka chugging contest. The pledge's parents told the newspaper their 18-year-old son was found near death at the fraternity and was in a medically induced coma for two days. His blood alcohol content was 0.45 percent, more than five times the legal limit for driving, according to an incident report.

A call to the fraternity house, which is off campus, went unanswered Tuesday. It is up to the fraternity's leaders to determine if members will be continue living in the house, university spokesman Christian Basi said.

Columbia police are investigating an alleged assault at the fraternity, spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said in an email.

The university's decision was disappointing because the chapter and national organization were ready to help its members make better decisions and improve in the future, Jesse Lyons, assistant executive director for advancement at the national fraternity office, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

The national organization had previously announced a temporary suspension for the Columbia chapter, and it will remain in effect until the best course of action can be determined, Lyons said. He said an independent investigator determined hazing allegations related to the temporary suspension were false but found unrelated previous violations, including hazing and alcohol misuse.

"Through our review and investigation, we identified a core group of men in our chapter with whom we could have moved forward," Lyons wrote. "Our proposed sanctions included individual and chapter discipline, proven and intense culture change education for members, the separation of some chapter membership, enhanced alumni involvement and ongoing progress monitoring."