© Reuters/Adnan Abidi
San Diego State University (SDSU) said on its website that the national Delta Sigma Phi fraternity had agreed to close the school's Gamma Alpha chapter at least until the fall of 2016, according to Reuters.
"There is no place in our campus community for the type of ongoing behaviors displayed by those involved with this fraternity chapter," Eric Rivera, SDSU vice president for student affairs, said in a written statement.
"We appreciate the willingness of the national office of Delta Sigma Phi to step in and address these issues and take action with us. We hope that through these actions, when the time is right, they will bring a chapter back to SDSU and be productive members of our community."
Gamma Alpha members are accused of taking part in harassing about 35 students taking part in a "Take Back the Night" anti-campus-rape march, as colleges across the nation are addressing a spate of head-turning sexual assault allegations and subsequent demonstrations of defiance by students.
SDSU was one of four California public universities that was cited in a statewide June audit for poor staff training and preparation for sexual assault issues on campus. The gaps in training, the audit said, left staff at risk for botching reports of sexual assault.
The university has since installed staff training and student education programs about sexual misconduct, an SDSU spokesman said.
Meanwhile, graphic allegations of rape on US college campuses at schools such as Columbia University have spurred a wave of protest and calls for action, including the possibility of reform of the fraternity systems.
Following an account recently published by Rolling Stone of alleged fraternity-led sexual assaults at the University of Virginia, the school suspended fraternity activities until the beginning of the spring semester.
Yet Rolling Stone has since backtracked on the article's veracity, citing "discrepancies" regarding accounts of what happened to the story's source and whether fraternity members were involved.
this sure is unexpected, what with cops and other 'American heroes' getting away with murder around the world, who would have thought that something like a frat house would have to pay a penalty? This is much more than any Wall Streeter who merely pays a small penalty and then collects their govt subsidized bonus check. These frat boys are probably in a state of shock.