On Aug. 19, an incident at the University of Idaho Beta Theta Pi (BTP) fraternity caused 22 new members of the fraternity to move from Greek housing to on-campus student housing.
One new sophomore member was injured in the incident, which UI Director of Communications Jodi Walker said was related to possible violations of the Healthy Vandal Pledge and Student Code of Conduct. She did not share further details on the violations.
On Aug. 14, before the incident, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) sent a letter to the Vandal Community discussing what each chapter would do in response to COVID-19. The letter stated the Greek community’s primary focus is the health and safety of Moscow residents, university students and Greek community members. The IFC decided to enforce additional preventative measures along with UI and Moscow guidelines.
These measures included the use of masks, social distancing at all recruitment events, mandatory hand washing or sanitizing stations at every chapter facility entrance and the suspension of all external activities including socials, formals, philanthropy and more.
The letter also stated the IFC held an emergency meeting Aug. 12 to address ways to hold the Greek community accountable and set a standard for students at the university. The IFC committed to more proactive and normalized use of masks and to abide by set expectations.
This letter stated IFC had the right to dismiss chapters from recruitment if they did not follow the guidelines.
“We understand that the future is unforeseeable and there is no playbook; however, we are committed to doing everything in our power to keep the community safe while preserving the authenticity of each member’s experience,” the letter stated. “We take this matter seriously and are always welcome to feedback and recommendations as it only makes the Vandal family stronger.”
MPD Campus Captain Tyson Berrett stated the case was closed by the MPD patrol division, which handled the incident. He had no further comment on the incident.
Dean of Students Blaine Eckles declined to comment as the investigation on the situation is ongoing. BTP President Brady Govreau could not be reached for comment.
This article has been edited to correct formatting errors.
Kim Stager can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @journalismgoals.