Furman suspends fraternity for at least 4 years after parties spread coronavirus

FURMAN (AP) - A fraternity at a South Carolina university has been suspended for at least four years after it hosted a pair of parties that led to the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement, Furman University said Kappa Alpha held parties at its fraternity house Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, and nearly 60% of those who attended - at least 29 students - tested positive for the coronavirus. Those who tested positive have been quarantined, the university said.

"While the university appreciates the bonds that fraternal membership forms, any activities that put the health and safety of students at risk will not be tolerated," the school's statement said. "Individuals associated with the suspended chapter understand they must cease all organizational activity and the individual repercussions for failure to do so."

Furman spokesperson Tom Evelyn deferred all comment Wednesday about the incident to the university's statement.

"There were delays as contact tracers were initially not provided information about the events at the house and the individuals present," the university statement said. "An outbreak that surpasses our ability to quarantine is one trigger that could cause us to go fully remote, and this matter quickly became an issue of well-being for our entire community."

Kappa Alpha, which has a history of problems at Furman, will have an opportunity to appeal the decision. Its members will remain Furman students, the statement said, though all activities associated with Kappa Alpha on or off campus must end.

Kappa Alpha came off probation in the spring after hosting an "unregistered event" in Hilton Head in April 2019, the university said. Some of the students at the unauthorized party last month were also involved in the Hilton Head incident.

"During that probationary period, the chapter lost social privileges, participated in risk management trainings, engaged with headquarters' consultant staff and conducted a membership recommitment to the values and expectations of membership in Kappa Alpha in order to maintain membership," the university statement said. "Individuals involved in the 2019 incident were in attendance at the most recent incident."

Students who attended the parties will also face student conduct sanctions, Evelyn told The Post and Courier.

The university, consistently South Carolina's top-ranked liberal arts college, ceased allowing off-campus fraternity houses last year. Currently, all 2,800 Furman students live on campus.

"Certainly there is an awareness on campus that going to off-campus parties and events like this could jeopardize the semester for everybody," Evelyn said.

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