Tech Reviews Judicial Process in Wake of Frat Sanctioning

Credit: Brooke Novak/Flickr

A fraternity at Georgia Tech has called the university’s judicial process into question after they were sanctioned for alleged racial slurs shouted by members.

Tech’s chief legal officer Nels Peterson will be the head of a six-member review panel meant to ensure the process is in line with current best practices, though the university told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the panel would not specifically investigate the decision against Phi Delta Thelta.

The Tech chapter of the fraternity was sanctioned through the current judicial process for the alleged shouting incidents in August. Phi Delta Theta told the AJC that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the allegations and two weeks ago requested outside investigators examine the process by which the university came to their decision.

Members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity were accused of making obscene gestures towards a black student walking by the fraternity house in mid-August, Patch previously reported. The victim added that the fraternity members allegedly called her the N-word.

In the days following the incident, students silently protested outside the frat house in response to the alleged incident.

Students involved in the protest told WSB-TV that they too had been the target of racial slurs from fraternity members, though none could provide hard proof of such incidents occurring. The students said the incidents made them feel unsafe on campus.