UNL officials open up about FIJI suspension

The Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity has been suspended at the University of Nebraska Lincoln until at least May 2020.

The chapter first gained public scrutiny after allegedly harassing people during January’s Women’s March in Lincoln…

Marchers who felt violated took to social media, posting pictures that went viral.

On Tuesday, University officials spoke out, saying the March was just one black mark in a pattern of poor conduct by the fraternity.

"The Women’s March frankly is illustrative of an ongoing pattern of behavior at the fraternity," UNL spokesman Steve Smith said.

UNL said FIJI violated the school’s code of conduct. It cited reckless alcohol use, hazing, and inappropriate sexually based behavior — including sexual harassment – in its report.

"These are not things that we are singling the Greek system out about,” Smith said. “Students understand these things when they come to the university. This is what they sign up for."

This is the second UNL fraternity suspension within the month. Phi Kappa Psi was booted in February for problematic alcohol use.

Smith said back-to-back fraternity suspensions is more of a coincidence than a pattern. He said unruly Greek organizations aren’t a big problem on campus.

"There are 4,600 students in the Greek system at the University of Nebraska,” he said. “It would be unfair to characterize one or two chapters that may have difficulty staying within the rules and painting with a broad brush. We know Greek life at Nebraska is very valuable."

Smith said the University’s Greek system already takes proactive approaches to instill behavior that aligns with the code of conduct. There is also programming that helps organizations get back on track if there have been problems. He said FIJI failed to utilize that help, and it’s resulted in the suspension.

Bill Martin, the executive director of the fraternity’s international organization, released this statement Tuesday:

"The members of the chapter have expressed their commitment to the changes and progress necessary to regain recognition from the university.  We all appreciate the opportunity to cooperate with the university staff to fashion a meaningful rehabilitation plan to accomplish this."

The FIJI house is privately owned, so current students who live inside will be allowed to stay while the fraternity is suspended.

Starting on May 10th, no freshman will be able to move in.

The fraternity can petition for reinstatement in 2019 if it meets requirements. If it gets reinstated, the chapter will be on probation for two years, and would not be allowed to return to university housing status until 2020.