UCF Terminates Theta Chi’s On-Campus Housing Contract

The Iota Theta chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity will have to take down their letters from Greek Park.

Theta Chi’s housing contract was terminated two weeks after a house party which violated the fraternity’s lease agreement with the university with alcohol, fire safety and disregard for property, UCF spokesman Chad Binette said.

The fraternity is facing the following violations according to the housing incident report:
Alcoholic beverages violation
Disruptive conduct
Harmful behavior
Larceny/property damage
Misuse or unauthorized use of university facilities and grounds

“The UCF Police Department responded to a fire alarm at Theta Chi around 8:45 p.m. Nov. 19. Officers found a bicycle lock placed around the front door, preventing people from entering or leaving that way. They also found multiple people passed out and intoxicated – one was treated and released at an area emergency room — and no apparent measures to prevent underage people from drinking,” according to Binette.

The incident report said various resident assistants from Lake Claire realized a fire alarm was going off in Greek park and informed graduate residence coordinators to check on the students who were being evacuated, the incident report stated. The GRC’s were then informed that one fire alarm was pulled intentionally.

Two GRC’s entered the house and “observed medical assistants aiding two intoxicated individuals,” the incident report stated. They were told by Officer Holt “that the students had originally been monitored by student ‘sober monitors” before police and medical response teams arrived on scene.”

A GRC then walked through the house with two officers who located other intoxicated students passed out in other rooms throughout the house, according to the incident report.

“During the past few years, the University worked with the fraternity to resolve numerous issues and actions, which individually could have constituted a default of the Lease. The current actions of the fraternity are intolerable and demonstrate an unwillingness to comply with the covenants and conditions of the lease,” the termination letter said.

The lease agreement the fraternity had with UCF Housing and Residence Life said it would be breached if “any major violation, or three (3) or more minor violations within any lease year, committed by chapter members, of the terms and conditions of this lease agreement, ‘The Golden Rule,’ the ‘Community Living Guide’ and/or the Housing Rules and Regulations, which in landlord’s sole discretion demonstrates a ‘lack of institutional control by nationals, housecorp and/or chapter.”

The fraternity was notified of the termination during a meeting on Friday with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. The 35 men currently living there must be out of the house by the end of the semester.

UCF is helping the brothers returning to campus find housing for the spring and summer semesters.

“This behavior clearly does not reflect the values we expect our students to uphold, and we acted swiftly to address it,” Binette said.

Theta Chi Fraternity International Headquarters released the following statement:

“Theta Chi Fraternity International Headquarters has been notified of the reports of concerning activities that took place on November 19, 2015 at the University of Central Florida. Student health and safety is the Fraternity’s primary concern. Theta Chi Fraternity has placed its University of Central Florida Chapter on suspend status and has staff on campus conducting an investigation. The Fraternity has been cooperating with University of Central Florida administrators and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation.”

The Theta Chi house has been on campus since 2009 and is one of four houses in Greek Park owned by the university.