The University of Iowa’ s Sigma Chi chapter has been indefinitely suspended by the Sigma Chi International Fraternity. 

In a letter sent to the UI fraternity chapter and UI  Fraternity and Sorority Life Programs on March 1, the executive committee of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity officially suspended the UI’s Sigma Chi chapter, citing hazing incidents. 

“The [executive committee] was saddened to learn of the accountability issues within the chapter, including events related to hazing within its Preparation for Brotherhood pledge education program and its members’ disregard for risk management policies put in place by the university and international fraternity.”

The University of Iowa has not independently suspended the chapter. 

The Sigma Chi International executive committee wrote it voted to approve the fraternity’s suspension on Feb. 21, stating it was left with “no other option than to close the chapter.”

The committee wrote it intends to eventually return the chapter, but has not yet set a date to do so. 

“As you can surely understand, we want to be certain that our next effort to establish a Sigma Chi presence at the university will create an environment that supports the character development of every man who ultimately joins the Fraternity,” the letter read.

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The committee wrote that it plans to partner with the UI to “ensure that all future members of the chapter can be successful in their endeavors” and periodically evaluate the state of the university’s Greek-letter community to determine the date of the chapter’s return. 

“It’s disappointing when our members’ actions necessitate a chapter closure, but this was the right thing for us to do,” Sigma Chi International Fraternity president Tim Sanderson stated in a press release. “We look forward to eventually returning to campus and partnering once again with the University of Iowa.”

While the UI did not independently suspend the Sigma Chi chapter, the chapter’s recent history at the university has included several violations and incidents. The chapter was temporarily suspended and investigated by the university in 2020 for holding a large, “unregistered social event” during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was also placed under interim suspension by its national chapter in 2020 for failure to observe policies. The UI also investigated the chapter in 2018. 

In 2017, Sigma Chi freshman Kamil Jackowski died from alcohol poisoning at an off-campus formal event held by the fraternity in Lake of the Ozarks, which prompted national attention to Greek life and alcohol policies on college campuses. Just a year earlier, the fraternity was involved in an incident when two UI students fell off a balcony at an off-campus formal event held at the same location.