Duke’s chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity has been suspended, according to David Pittman, senior director of student life.
“SAE is currently suspended,” Pittman wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “As of right now, they have not submitted an appeal, and they have until tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26, at 11:59 p.m. to do so.”
The suspension also carries housing implications, according to a screenshot of an email obtained by The Chronicle.
The screenshot seemingly showed an employee of Housing and Residential Life addressing the suspension of SAE. Joe Gonzalez, assistant vice president of student affairs and dean for residential life, confirmed the accuracy of the screenshot. He confirmed that the email was sent by a member of the Housing Assignments team at the beginning of last week.
“My office has been notified by the Office of Student Conduct of the immediate suspension of Sigma Alpha Epsilon,” the Housing Assignments team wrote in the email. “As such, the fraternity may not continue to reside as a section in the residence halls.”
The email continued to explain that if SAE decides to appeal the suspension and the sanction is upheld, then members would be required to relocate before the end of the Fall semester.
The screenshot showed that the greeting of the email was addressed to an “Emile.” SAE President Emile Therrien, a junior, did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Chronicle.
SAE has had a checkered recent past at Duke, as it dissolved in 2002 and was expelled from the national fraternity after risk management issues, including hazing and illegal alcohol use. It became the off-campus organization Delta Phi Alpha before moving back on campus as Alpha Delta Phi in 2006.
The process to bring an SAE chapter back to Duke began in Fall 2008, when it was designated as a colony for two semesters before resuming its affiliation with the national fraternity.
In early 2019, Delta Tau Delta and Pi Kappa Phi were suspended, and new member activities for Kappa Alpha Order and Sigma Phi Epsilon were also suspended. The suspensions of the four fraternities were lifted shortly afterward.
This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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