ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604260037
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
In the end, a banquet led to the indefinite shutdown of a Radford University fraternity suspended after an underage student's alcohol-related death in February.
The Radford chapter of Pi Kappa Phi violated the requirements of its suspension Saturday when it held an end-of-the-year banquet at a local restaurant. The fraternity's suspension did not allow any group activities, except chapter meetings where an adviser attended, officials said Wednesday.
The national fraternity, in cooperation with Radford University officials, suspended the chapter in February after an investigation found Pi Kappa Phi had violated university alcohol policies. Radford also accused a second fraternity, Chi Phi, of alcohol violations and suspended it. That case was to be heard in a closed-door internal judicial hearing Thursday. The results of that hearing will not be disclosed until late today or early Saturday, Radford officials said.
The Pi Kappa Phi case was to have been heard Thursday as well, but the fraternity notified the university it would waive its right to a hearing and not contest four alcohol-related charges, said Bonnie Hurlburt, dean of students.
The charges followed the death of 18-year-old freshman Valerie Coles of Manassas. Coles attended the Pi Kappa Phi and Chi Phi fraternity parties with friends the night before she died, officials said at the time. An autopsy determined her blood-alcohol level was 0.31 percent, more than three times the legal standard of intoxication.
Mark Timmes, chief executive officer of the Pi Kappa Phi's national organization, said he visited Radford to explain the suspension to fraternity members. They were "very cooperative and understood" the stringent restrictions, he said.
"Unfortunately, the students chose not to follow the sanctions," Timmes said.
Timmes said the Saturday banquet was held at a Radford restaurant. He did not know the details, but did not believe alcohol was involved.
Individual members will get alumni status from the national fraternity and will not lose any of the privileges that come with the lifetime membership.
The fraternity has had a chapter at Radford since 1978. Timmes said the charter suspension is indefinite, but several years from now Pi Kappa Phi hopes to establish another chapter with the university's permission.
Hurlburt was to meet Thursday with a national fraternity official to discuss the length of time that must elapse before that can happen.
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