Purdue News
Purdue News
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November 18, 1998
Co-op house loses appeal of Purdue sanctionsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's decision to withdraw recognition from a housing cooperative because of hazing and alcohol violations was upheld by the Campus Appeals Board Tuesday (11/17).The university on Oct. 7 withdrew recognition of Rochdale (pronounced ROSH dale) Cooperative, the most severe penalty possible, following a hearing by the Office of the Dean of Students. The appeals board, made up of students, faculty and staff, reviewed the decision at Rochdale's request. The Purdue Office of the Dean of Students withdrew recognition after finding that the cooperative coerced pledges to drink beer and deprived them of sleep. The house, at 800 Northwestern Ave., also was found to have violated university regulations by holding an open party and sponsoring two other events where alcohol was served to minors. The incidents occurred Aug. 24 to 29. Withdrawal of recognition means the organization no longer exists in the eyes of the university and no longer can function as a student organization. L. Tony Hawkins, dean of students, issued the following statement following the appeals board action: "Unfortunately, there are no winners when serious disciplinary action must be taken against a student organization. However, we hope this case helps other student groups understand that Purdue is very serious about its policies on alcohol and hazing and that the university regards the mix of these two elements as especially dangerous. For cooperative housing units, the action may serve as a catalyst to refocus on the purposes and principles upon which Purdue students originally founded this unique living arrangement. "Our over-riding objective in addressing hazing and alcohol abuse is the safety of our students. We also are concerned about protecting the existence of cooperative, fraternity, and sorority housing as alternative living arrangements for students. Cooperative housing is meant to be a more independent and less-costly form of living than residence halls, but the very nature of their independence requires responsible behavior and leadership. "There is strong evidence that cooperative housing alumni want to help preserve the system, and that they recognize that changes need to take place. We hope more alumni will become actively involved. In time, there is even the possibility that Rochdale alumni can take the lead in presenting a new constitution, bylaws, and a list of new officers in order to be considered for official University recognition again." In a related but separate action, the board of the Purdue Cooperative Housing Association, an organization independent of the university, decided the 25 male students at Rochdale must leave the house. The association did, however, agree to let them to stay until the end of the semester, contingent on the availability of suitable insurance and a lease agreement that must be signed by each tenant. Pablo Malavenda, director of student activities for the Office of the Dean of Students, conducted the university's hearings concerning Rochdale. He found that his office not only had warned Rochdale several times in recent years about hazing, but also had called the cooperative officers just days before the open party to make sure the officers were aware of university policy. That policy states that no alcoholic beverages may be served at a party that is an open event. An event is considered open if invitations are extended to more than three guests per house resident. All student organizations also must comply with state law that says you must be age 21 or older to drink. In addition to finding the violations concerning the open party, Malavenda also verified six separate instances of hazing, some of them involving alcohol. One of the most serious took place early in the morning of Friday, Aug. 28. During a party, "pledge class members were coerced to drink, were harassed verbally and had beer thrown at them and on them," Malavenda reported. "In the center of the room, active members placed a garbage can in anticipation of the inevitable vomiting due to the excessive drinking of beer." The next day the drinking continued with a "beer olympics" involving minors. Citing several recent incidents on college campuses, he added: "The courts have been clear that the consumption of alcohol at a membership activity is not voluntary consumption. It is coercive. It also can be deadly, especially when large quantities are consumed over a very short period of time." With Rochdale's removal, there are now 12 cooperative houses at Purdue, five for men and seven for women. These are residential houses operated by the students, who contribute four to six hours of work a week to offset part of their housing cost. This is the first time that Purdue has withdrawn recognition of a cooperative.
Sources: L. Tony Hawkins, dean of students, (765) 494-1747; e-mail, lthawkins@odos.purdue.edu Pablo Malavenda, (765) 494-1232; e-mail, rpmalavenda@odos.purdue.edu Writer: Jeanne Norberg, (765) 494-2096; e-mail, jeanne_norberg@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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