In a mutiny against strict party rules imposed last year following allegations of frat house sexual assaults, six USC fraternities formally disaffiliated from the university Friday — prompting warnings of "serious ramifications" from campus administrators.
"We are disappointed that some USC fraternities are following an unfortunate national trend by disaffiliating from the university — against our strong recommendations," USC said in an Instagram statement Friday night. "This decision seems to be driven by the desire to eliminate university oversight of their operations ... and goes against 130 years of tradition."
USC officials had given fraternities a Friday deadline to convey their decision, as students prepare to return to campus next week. Monique S. Allard, interim vice president for student affairs, told The Times on Friday that officials are still actively engaged in conversations to persuade other fraternity leaders to stay affiliated and benefit from the vast health and safety resources offered by campus professionals.
Fraternities that choose to disaffiliate will lose the right to use the USC logo or brand, access the campus Greek life portal, participate in campuswide committees and club fairs and secure personal and professional leadership opportunities, according to an Aug. 6 letter sent by Allard and Devin Walker, director for fraternity and sorority leadership development.
"Like other universities across the country, we will strongly recommend that our students not join fraternities that are unaffiliated with USC," the letter said. "In fact, we would post the names of unaffiliated chapters online and actively dissuade students from joining such organizations."
Despite those warnings, six of the 15 chapters in the USC Interfraternity Council so far have chosen to sever their relationship with USC. They are Kappa Alpha Order, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau.
Leaders with national fraternities and most of their USC chapters did not respond to interview requests.
The showdown at USC has also played out at other campuses where fraternities have protested rules on rushing, drinking and other activities imposed to create safer environments, particularly for women. A 2019 survey of 182,000 students at 33 four-year campuses by the Assn. of American Universities found that fraternity houses were the top location cited in reports of nonconsensual sexual touching.
Fraternities have disaffiliated from such campuses as the University of Colorado Boulder, West Virginia University, Duke University and the University of Michigan. Many objected in particular to bans against recruitment of first-year students during fall semester — a rule that USC also essentially imposes with requirements that students first complete 12 units of coursework and maintain a 2.5 GPA before being eligible to join a campus-affiliated fraternity.
Still, 98.7% of 6,210 member chapters in 57 national and international men’s fraternities represented by the North American Interfraternity Conference are operating with campus recognition, the group said in a statement.
Both USC and the fraternities have much to lose if they break their connection, said John Hechinger, author of "True Gentlemen: The Broken Pledge of America’s Fraternities," a 2017 book on fraternity culture focusing on Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
"It's kind of a nightmare for universities when fraternities disaffiliate ... because they'll likely engage in a lot of the behavior that alarmed the administration, but the school then has very little leverage left," Hechinger said.
"These chapters are going to lose a lot too," he added. "It can't be good for fundraising or recruitment. Using campus facilities has great value. Being able to advertise on and recruit on the website is a big deal. And the fact that [USC] is going to actively discourage people could really hurt them."