University of Arizona lifts suspension of activities for 16 fraternities after alleged misconduct

University of Arizona students involved in Greek life can resume activities with most Interfraternity Council chapters after the university ended an interim suspension affecting fraternity programming. The university lifted the suspension for 16 fraternities after chapter advisors completed mandatory meetings with the Dean of Students Office. Five other fraternities remain barred from activities while they face active investigations into alleged misconduct. The decision offers a partial return to normal operations on the Tucson campus, but it also leaves several chapters under scrutiny and keeps the university’s warning about student safety in place.

The university announced the change in a statement sent to KGUN9 on Friday. It said the 16 chapters were allowed to resume activities once the required meetings with their advisors had taken place. Those meetings were imposed after the Dean of Students Office notified the fraternity and sorority community on Oct. 5 that all Interfraternity Council chapters would face an interim suspension of activities. The university’s action was temporary while officials reviewed reports of alleged violations and required chapter leadership to meet with university administrators.

Five fraternities remain under that interim suspension: Delta Chi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Tau Gamma, Zeta Beta Tau and Zeta Psi. According to the university, each is under active investigation by the Dean of Students Office in partnership with the University of Arizona Police Department. The university did not announce a final finding against those chapters in the statement. Their continued suspension means the review process is still underway, and their status may be addressed through the university’s chapter conduct and judicial procedures.

The allegations described in the suspension notice include hazing, an assault involving a University of Arizona student and the creation of unsafe environments for students. The Oct. 5 letter from the Dean of Students Office also described an alleged incident in which new members were forced to consume large amounts of alcohol and live goldfish. Those claims remain allegations. The university’s decision to lift the interim suspension for 16 chapters does not, by itself, establish that every concern connected to the fraternity community has been resolved or determine the outcome of the investigations involving the five remaining chapters.

The university said the original action applied to all Interfraternity Council chapters as an interim measure. In practical terms, the broad suspension temporarily affected fraternity activities across the IFC community while the university required chapter advisors to meet with the Dean of Students. After those meetings were completed, officials separated the chapters that could resume activities from the five that would remain under investigation. The process reflects a distinction between a temporary administrative restriction and an ongoing conduct review, with the latter continuing for the five named organizations.

Mandatory advisor meetings will continue for all IFC chapters, including those whose activity suspensions have been lifted. The university said advisors must attend each meeting. If an advisor does not attend, the chapter can be removed from good standing with Fraternity and Sorority Programs. That requirement gives the university an ongoing way to monitor chapter leadership and participation after the immediate, communitywide suspension was narrowed. It also means the 16 chapters returning to activity remain subject to continuing oversight rather than receiving an unrestricted end to university scrutiny.

For students, the change means fraternity operations can resume in many parts of the campus Greek community, while activities connected to the five investigated chapters remain suspended. The university did not provide additional details about what specific activities may restart or how long the investigations will take. It directed students and members of the university community to its Chapter Conduct and Judicial Status website for more information about chapter standing and conduct cases. The university also emphasized that it will not tolerate additional violations that place students in harm’s way.

The developments follow the university’s earlier notification to the fraternity and sorority community and come as officials continue working with chapter advisors and UAPD. The five investigations are the next significant step in determining what happened and whether further action is warranted. For now, 16 fraternities have cleared the immediate meeting requirement, while the five named chapters remain in a separate review process. The university has not announced final outcomes for those investigations, leaving the Tucson campus community awaiting additional information through the conduct and judicial status process.