(Bloomington, Ind.) Following the many alleged instances of rape and sexual assault involving several greek organizations at IU, both Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils have decided to suspend all social activities for the rest of the semester.

Between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m. on Halloween, a rape was reported by a female student who had been at Phi Kappa Psi’s fraternity house. This was not the first sexual assault to be reported at the fraternity in the last year and is just part of the recent uptick in sexual assaults reported at fraternity houses or involving members of a greek organization.

“You can only let it happen for so long until you kind of just need to teach them a lesson and that they can’t just do what they want,” said Hannah Chamley, an IU student involved with greek life.

The suspension is effective through the rest of the Fall 2021 semester but is eligible for an extension based on the completion of agreed-upon action items set in place for the greek community.

The parameters set include holding no social pairings between houses on or off-campus and social events that are open to the public are not permitted according to the OSFL Social Events Policy. Houses are also required to review their risk management procedures and make any necessary changes to ensure high levels of accountability and safety are being met at events.

Fraternities are required to attend a chapter-wide session of sexual assault education training with a 90% attendance rate. PHA and IFC council judiciary boards have the final say in what constitutes a violation of these rules.

“I think it’s honestly fair for them to do. Nobody wants girls or people getting hurt and it’s not like they shut down everything because there is still stuff going on. But I hope that it doesn’t last forever,” said Rafael Pinero, another IU student.

The boards are allowing any party/event that was paid for and planned by Nov. 3 to continue as scheduled as long as they receive prior approval of the event by their respective council. Parents’ Weekend activities, as well as philanthropic events, are also allowed as long as they have been registered appropriately.

Any house that does not follow these new guidelines is subject to fines of up to $2,000 from their respective council, a PHA or IFC judicial board hearing, or the chapter will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct at IU for further investigation.

Both councils have sent out emails to the houses on campus stating their reasoning behind these new regulations. They write that they have done so in order to take time to reflect on how they can improve their respective communities and promote an environment where sexual violence is not tolerated.

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, you can contact the Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy or find Indiana University’s listed reporting options for more help.