OFF. YEAH, RIGHT. >> NOW, LET’S KICK IT OFF WITH THE BIG STORY OF THE DAY. WE’RE GOING TO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, ESSENTIALLY SUSPENDING GREEK LIFE. SO MANY QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS THIS AFTERNOON AMONG STUDENTS AT COLLEGE PARK AFTER THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SUSPENDED THE MAJORITY OF ITS FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES, IT
HAPPENED FRIDAY. AS A RESULT OF WHAT THE UNIVERSITY IS CALLING ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT ARE BOB BARNARD LIVE AT COLLEGE PARK? SPEAKING TO THOSE STUDENTS ABOUT THE FALLOUT FROM THIS DECISION? THIS IS MAKING NATIONAL HEADLINES, BOB, BECAUSE IF UMD IS DOING THIS, THE QUESTION IS, COULD OTHER UNIVERSITIES NOW FOLLOW? BUT
THE BIGGER QUESTION, WHY. >> THAT’S RIGHT. MARINA AND JOE, WE DON’T KNOW WHY THE UNIVERSITY ISN’T SAYING ANYTHING OTHER THAN IT INVOLVED THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF STUDENTS. AND SO GREEK LIFE BASICALLY AS WE KNOW IT, MORE THAN A DOZEN SORORITIES, MORE THAN A DOZEN FRATERNITIES, THOSE ON GREEK ROW AND THOSE
WHO HAVE HOUSES HERE IN THE COMMUNITY OF COLLEGE PARK HAVE HAD ALL ACTIVITIES SUSPENDED. SUSPENDED, UH, IN TERMS OF THE USE OF ALCOHOL ON CAMPUS OR OFF THEIR RECRUITMENT OF NEW PLEDGES. AND AGAIN, THEY’RE NOT SAYING EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. THEY HAD A MEETING, THOUGH, THURSDAY NIGHT WITH UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS AND GREEK LIFE
LEADERS AND SAID, LOOK, WE’VE GOTTEN REPORTS OF SOME THINGS HAPPENING THAT AREN’T SAFE. YOU GOT TO STOP. MORE ALLEGATIONS CAME TO LIGHT ON FRIDAY, AND THAT’S WHY THEN THE UNIVERSITY ISSUED THIS CEASE AND DESIST ORDER FRIDAY EVENING. UM, WE DON’T KNOW HOW LONG IT’S GOING TO LAST. SOME STUDENTS ARE
TELLING US THEY’VE BEEN TOLD UNTIL SPRING BREAK, TWO WEEKS FROM NOW AT LEAST. ANOTHER STUDENT TOLD ME THAT HE HAS HEARD IT INVOLVES ONE FRATERNITY THAT APPARENTLY POSTED A VIDEO ON INSTAGRAM SHOWING PLEDGES DRINKING, AND THAT WHEN THEY WERE CONFRONTED ABOUT IT, THE FRATERNITY LEADERS LIED AND SAID THAT IT
DIDN’T HAPPEN. AND THEN THEY WERE CONFRONTED WITH THE VIDEO. THAT’S JUST ONE STORY WE ARE HEARING HERE. SPEAKING TO FRATERNITY BROTHERS LEADERS. HERE’S THEIR REACTION ON CAMPUS TODAY. >> I MEAN, IT’S NOT REALLY THAT SHOCKING. I FEEL LIKE THE SCHOOL’S ALWAYS JUST BEEN AGAINST LIKE FRATERNITY LIFE HERE. UH, I REMEMBER WHEN I
FIRST JOINED, PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS SAYING THAT FRATERNITY LIFE IS NOT REALLY GOING TO LAST IN GENERAL. LIKE, NOT NOT ONLY AT MARYLAND, BUT JUST LIKE IN THE US. AND IT’S I GUESS IT’S NOT REALLY THAT SHOCKING. SO BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT IS STILL VERY DISAPPOINTING.
YOU KNOW, IT’S MY LAST YEAR IN COLLEGE, SO I WAS HOPING TO, UH , HAVE SOME FUN, BUT, UM, I THINK AS USUAL, WE’LL JUST FIND A WAY, AS WE ALWAYS DO. >> SO THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON HERE ON FOX 5, YOU’LL HEAR FROM OTHER FRATERNITY LEADERS. AND THE FATHER OF A VIRGINIA
COLLEGE STUDENT WHO DIED THREE YEARS AGO IN A SITUATION AT VCU WHERE THE KID BASICALLY, UH, ADAM OAKES FROM LOUDOUN COUNTY, UH, BASICALLY DRANK HIMSELF TO DEATH. IT WAS A BIG SCANDAL. THERE WERE CRACKDOWNS, FINES, THEN CHANGES IN VIRGINIA LAW. IN FACT, GUYS AT UVA RIGHT NOW, WE’RE TOLD FRATERNITY
ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED FOR THREE WEEKS BECAUSE OF AN INCIDENT. TWO WEEKS AGO WHERE A STUDENT APPARENTLY WAS DRINKING, FELL DOWN SOME STAIRS , HIT HIS HEAD AND IS IN A COMA . UM, SO, I MEAN, IT’S NOT ONLY HAPPENING HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BUT CURRENTLY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
VIRGINIA AND OTHERS LIKELY AS WELL. NOT HAZING, NECESSARILY, BUT WHERE ALCOHOL IS INVOLVED. >> HAVE WE HEARD ANY WORD FROM ANY NATIONAL FRATERNITY SAYING, LISTEN, WE LIKE WHAT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IS DOING AND TAKING THESE PRECAUTIONS BECAUSE SAFETY IS FIRST. AND ABSOLUTELY NO NOTHING FROM ANY OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
>> AND IT’S NOT LIKE THE STUDENTS ARE BEING KICKED OUT OF THEIR HOUSES. THEY’RE ALLOWED TO STAY. THE GREEK LIFE HOMES THAT THE UNIVERSITY OWNS, THOSE THAT ARE OWNED BY THE NATIONAL CHAPTERS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. THE STUDENTS AREN’T BEING KICKED OUT OF THERE. THEY’RE RESIDENCE HALLS THAT ARE WITHIN THE SORORITIES AND
FRATERNITIES. JUST NO ACTIVITY. AND THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT THAT NOT JUST 1 OR 2 BAD APPLES ARE BEING SINGLED OUT, BUT THAT WHAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS DONE IS SUSPENDED ACTIVITIES AT MOST OF THE GREEK LIFE ORGANIZATIONS, NOT THE BLACK STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS OR THE MULTICULTURAL, BUT THE MAIN
ONES, THE UH, FOR AND THE IFC, WHICH AGAIN, ARE LIKE ALMOST THREE DOZEN FRATERNITY AND SORORITIES ALTOGETHER. >> ALL RIGHT. BOB WELL, WE’LL CONTINUE TO CHECK IN WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. AND AGAIN, ADAM OAKS FAMILY NOW OWED $28 MILLION FROM VCU TO HUGE LIABILITY FOR THE SCHOOLS. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, SAVING
LIVES AND ALCOHOL. I THINK PEOPLE DON’T USUALLY ASSOCIATE IT WITH THE DANGERS
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