Greek presidents charged for underage drinking at off-campus retreat

A fraternity and sorority event was interrupted the weekend of Feb. 7, when students at a meeting of Greek chapter presidents in the Philadelphia suburbs received citations for charges relating to underage drinking and other alcohol-related offenses.

The meeting was held at the Fellowship Farm camp in New Hanover, a small township in Montgomery County about an hour outside of the city. Police were called in the night of Feb. 7 or the morning of Feb. 8.

The students involved have also been referred to the Office of Student Conduct, and Penn is contacting the national chapters of the fraternities and sororities involved, according to Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

The incident has also been reported to the Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Board, a judicial body that oversees Greek matters.

It is not known how many chapter presidents were involved in the incident or which specific fraternities and sororities will face disciplinary action.

"Students involved in this situation made very poor choices, which reflect poorly on themselves, their chapters, the Greek system and the University," Reikofski wrote in an e-mail.

A statement from the InterFraternity, the Multicultural Greek and the Panhellenic councils also expressed disappointment at the turn of events, writing in an e-mail they were "disappointed by the actions of some of the students in attendance."

The statement also said, though, that "the behavior does not reflect the core values of our community."

Debbie Mason, an employee at Fellowship Farm, said the camp was not involved in the incident. It rents out its space to different groups but did not oversee student conduct at the retreat.

New Hanover Police did not respond to a request for comment.

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