by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
The charter for UNM's chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity has been revoked until 2009.
Kappa Sigma had been suspended since Aug. 21 after it was reported that a fight broke out at the fraternity's house during a party with alcohol.
Police officers found a shotgun near the fraternity's house when they broke up the party, said Randy Boeglin, dean of students. A University investigation also determined that underage girls were given alcohol at the house, he said.
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UNM suspended Kappa Sigma for a year, but the fraternity's national headquarters notified the University Nov. 20 that it revoked the chapter's charter for two years, Boeglin said.
"They were going to be out for a year for sure, but it's more consequential to have their national headquarters pull their charter," he said.
Members of the chapter did not return phone calls.
Boeglin said the fraternity's members have until end of the semester to move out of the house, which the University owns.
"UNM will put the Kappa Sigma house to some other use," he said. "Space is always at a premium here."
The national headquarters will start a new chapter at UNM in a couple years, but the next chapter will not have any of the current members, said Mic Wilson, a spokesman for Kappa Sigma.
Wilson said some students lost their memberships, and the ones that didn't won't be active when the fraternity returns.
"There are individuals who still have their memberships. They are just not going to be participating in the future operations," he said. "When we come back, we'll recruit a whole new group of students."
Wilson said the national headquarters has previously had problems with the chapter, such as alcohol violations.
"We tried everything we possibly could to really change the chapter's focus and operations - how they were conducting themselves," he said. "We just felt that it was best to do this. Obviously, it's the most extreme discipline that a chapter can have."
It's not common for Kappa Sigma to revoke a charter,
Wilson said.
"If you were working with the chapter, and you warned them that things have to change, and they won't do that, then you have little option but to say, 'OK. We're going to leave campus for a little while,'" he said.
Kappa Sigma was one of three UNM fraternities suspended within a week at the beginning of the semester.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon was suspended Aug. 14 after UNM Police arrested pledge Michael McGuffin, 25, on rape charges.
McGuffin was arrested on 11 felony counts, including criminal sexual penetration, sexual contact with a minor and sexual exploitation of children.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is suspended until the end of the semester, but the chapter could face further suspension after McGuffin's case is settled, Boeglin said.
Phi Delta Theta was suspended Aug. 17 after UNM Police told the Dean of Students Office that an underage girl got drunk at the fraternity house.
The girl's parents picked her up from the house and took her to Presbyterian Hospital, where she was treated for alcohol poisoning.
The Dean of Students Office suspended the chapter, but the fraternity got the suspension overturned in October after it appealed to Vice President for Student Affairs Cheo Torres, Boeglin said.
After half the fraternities on campus were suspended in a week, UNM President David Schmidly formed a task force to examine Greek life at UNM.
The task force is expected to present its report to Schmidly at the end of the semester, Boeglin said.
