Eugene police did something they rarely do Thursday: They cited an entire University fraternity for furnishing and allowing consumption of alcohol by a minor, Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Pam Olshanski said.
The citation was issued to the Theta Chi fraternity. Olshanski said it was the first time she can remember that an entity, rather than a person, was cited for providing alcohol to minors.
Several years ago, all fraternities and sororities were required to sign pledges saying they would not allow any alcohol or illegal substances at their houses, and if any house refused to sign the pledge, it would lose its affiliation with the University.
During the late hours of Dec. 1, two women, 18 and 19 years old, attended a party at the Theta Chi house, on 1125 E. 19th Ave., and were given alcoholic drinks throughout the night, Olshanski said.
The last thing the women remember was returning to their residence halls, Olshanski said. They were so intoxicated they had to be treated for alcohol poisoning at Sacred Heart Medical Center, and one of the women remained in the intensive care unit for several days.
That woman’s parents picked her up after her release from Sacred Heart and took her home to Colorado, Olshanski said.
The Department of Public Safety turned the case over to Eugene police for investigation. Police decided to cite the entire fraternity instead of a single person after conducting interviews with the two underage women and their families and consulting with the city prosecutor.
Theta Chi President Robbie McEachern accepted the citation on behalf of the fraternity, Olshanski said.
Messages from the Emerald left on McEachern’s phone were not returned and no one answered calls to the fraternity house. A message left at Theta Chi’s international headquarters in Indiana was also not returned.
After banning alcohol from fraternities and sororities in fall 2002, the University became one of 11 schools that don’t allow the possession or consumption of alcohol at their fraternity and sorority houses, according to the University’s Greek Life Web site.
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