Editorial

FIJI's suspension the correct action

THE SUSPENSION ANNOUNCED last week of Phi Delta Gamma (FIJI) fraternity is the correct course of action by Fresno State.

FIJI’s members and supporters have objected to the five-year penalty on a number of grounds, including the assertion that Danny Daniels, who died in the FIJI house of alcohol poisoning on Jan. 8, was depressed and that this fact ultimately led to his death.

The truth or falsehood of this claim seems impossible to determine yet is not particularly relevant to the fraternity’s suspension.

The official university report detailing the case against FIJI mentions nearly a half-dozen incidents from the past three years, all involving alcohol abuse and underage drinking at the FIJI house.

This timeline of events ends tragically with the death of Danny Daniels – yet it is the entire sequence that ultimately led university officials to pronounce the suspension they did.

FIJI officials have said they plan to appeal the suspension and in fact presented the appropriate paperwork to undertake the process on Friday.

The decision on whether to overturn or modify the university’s sentence rests now solely in the hands of Dean of Students Paul Oliaro.

FIJI representatives have stated they have new evidence, not included in the university report, that they will bring forward in the appeal process.

While this may be true, it is difficult to imagine what type of evidence could be presented to contradict the timeline documented in official reports and demand a lessening of the suspension.

There must also be additional steps taken to ensure the tragic fate of Daniels is not shared by others.

Some have proposed that a breakdown in communication between the university and fraternities occurred in recent months, in part due to the fact that there presently is no “Greek adviser” appointed to manage such an undertaking.

This is a valid point and it is imperative that a Greek adviser be appointed as quickly as possible to facilitate communication between university and fraternity officials.

It is difficult to assign blame to anyone in the case of Daniels. We will never truly know what happened the night of his death or how he came by the ilicit alcohol that caused it.

Yet FIJI must still be held accountable for the long string of incidents that clearly indicate a culture of irresponsibility and lawlessness.

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