By Zac Estrada, News Staff
The fate of Northeastern’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity hangs in the balance of its national chapter’s decision following a recommendation from university officials to cancel its charter.
Revoking the charter at the university would be the final step in sanctioning the organization, also known as Pike, after three members threw a party in September at a Mission Hill residence.
The Boston Police Department (BPD) spent three years targeting it as a fraternity house – illegal in the state of Massachusetts.
Pi Kappa Alpha President John Coogan said his group did everything it could to show the executive board it did not condone the actions of the three members and did everything they could to stop it.
“Everyone in executive council understood how bad it would be if there was another party there and understood how risky it was,” Coogan, a senior economics major, said. “People who wanted to live there only wanted to throw parties. We tried to distance [the organization] from those members.”
Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Julien Levesque said Pike’s violations earlier this year weighed against the group when Northeastern sanctioned them over the September party.
“This was especially concerning at the time because at the time Pike was sanctioned for another non-compliance issue last spring,” Levesque said.
Coogan said a group of Pike members rented the three-bedroom duplex three years ago, which has since been rented by subsequent students who are part of the organization.
“There is a history of this residence with members of Pike living it,” Levesque said. “It’s been on the radar of the police for a while.”
The three Pike members hosted a party Sept. 18 at the Mission Hill home. Coogan said the party was partly held to celebrate the birthday of a friend unaffiliated with the fraternity.
“I personally told them that night not to have a party,” Coogan said. “We tried to stop them, but it is their residence. How far could we go?”
Coogan said the dangers of BPD showing up to close down a raucous party at this suspected frat house were heightened because Pike was already on probation by Northeastern for infractions sustained earlier this year. While it didn’t prevent Pike from recruiting or holding events, Coogan said the organization was already walking on thin ice.
So real were the dangers that Coogan said he spoke with the Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) office. Coogan said Assistant FSL Director Sarah Decker told him to consider having Pike’s executive board change bylaws to prevent gatherings being held at this house to end any impressions it was a frat house.
“But the main problem I ran into was getting direction and putting on enticing events for our members on Friday and Saturday nights,” Coogan said.
Levesque said IFC found Pike’s executive board wasn’t responsible for the organization of the party or using organization funds to supply alcohol, but was accountable for the actions of all of the members.
In an Oct. 26 ruling listing the 16 charges against Pike, Elliott Poppel, IFC vice president of standards, said revocation of the charter was the next necessary step.
“The blatant disregard by your members towards the chapter’s status of probation and suspension, confirms that the prevailing attitude of the membership is contrary to the mission and values of the IFC and the University,” Poppel wrote.
Coogan said he disagreed with IFC’s decision the party was destructive and on Nov. 9 Pike filed an appeal against the group’s suspension.
“We were so willing to work with the school, we were ready to do pretty much anything to work to make this organization better to streamline to get anyone out who wasn’t agreeing with the goals,” Coogan said. “We had the support of alumni and National to kick out everyone and start over.”
Northeastern Director of Communications Renata Nyul wrote in an email to The News: “per the Interfraternity Council bylaws, the University sent a formal letter to the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity recommending that the governing organization also revoke the Kappa Delta chapter,” and in the Nov. 25 letter to Pike denying their appeal, Associate Dean for Student Development Valerie Randall-Lee wrote the university would uphold its expulsion decision.
FSL Director Christine McGill sent a letter to Justin Buck at Pi Kappa Alpha headquarters Dec. 1 recommending the fraternity’s charter at Northeastern be revoked because, as of Nov. 28, the group lost university recognition. As of yesterday, both sides of the issue are waiting for a decision.
Coogan, who joined Pike in 2008, said he stands by the actions taken by OSCCR and the university against the students who hosted the party.
“The university is extremely rule-driven, but I don’t see a problem with that,” Coogan said. “I don’t know what these guys were thinking, I couldn’t say that enough. They’re doing a ton of community service with the state of Massachusetts.”
Coogan said he’s sorry for the people who joined Pike for “the right reasons,” the ones who followed the rules and joined to make friends, not to throw loud parties. He said he’s also aware other Greek life groups struggle to meet the needs of their national chapters while staying within the university’s guidelines and knows many organizations that defy Northeastern rules.
“I know everyone’s breaking the rules, but I also know people are getting good grades, getting good jobs, staying safe and I don’t think anything will change,” Coogan said. “There are people in other organizations doing the same thing. They’re just smarter about it
