In 2014, following a White House report titled “Not Alone” which set guidelines for students, schools, and anyone interested in finding resources on how to prevent and respond to sexual assault on college and university campuses, Pi Kappa Phi created its philosophy statement regarding sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
The philosophy statement, officially adopted by Pi Kappa Phi’s National Council in December of 2014, outlines the Fraternity’s expectations for our members and centers on promoting respectful and healthy relationships, as well as the well being and dignity of all people. This document was then presented to all Archons, Standards Board Chairmen and Chapter Advisors in a mandatory conference call.
When creating this statement, Pi Kappa Phi focussed on not just taking a stand against all acts of sexual misconduct, but also purposefully educating members about the causes of sexual misconduct, and encouraging them to support prevention programming efforts in their campus communities. In the philosophy statement, Pi Kappa Phi upholds the following positions:
- The Fraternity is unequivocally opposed to all acts of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking and expects our members to follow the laws across the United States that have made these behaviors illegal. Additionally, the Fraternity expects members to follow campus-specific policies that prohibit such behaviors.
- As an organization founded on the principles of friendship, the Fraternity expects that our members treat others with dignity and respect.
- The Fraternity supports and enhances the mission of the institutions where we are present through application of relevant student development theories. Additionally, we encourage chapters to participate actively in local university programming and resources and to take a leadership role in initiating and supporting prevention activities.
- As a subset of the campus community, the Fraternity collaborates with the host institution to address the problems of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, including leveraging campus resources to educate our members and assist all parties.
- The Fraternity works to address the underlying causes of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. As such, Pi Kappa Phi supports an educational approach that encourages healthy interactions among all people and reinforces the Fraternity’s concern for human dignity and mutual respect.
- Through education, training and mature adult guidance, we provide the tools to help students make good choices and to understand the consequences of their choices.
- The Fraternity expects cooperation from its members and chapters in all accountability processes.
- The Fraternity will hold members accountable for the choices they make through a progressive discipline strategy. When a member or subordinate chapter is unable to conform to the expectations of Pi Kappa Phi, however, the conduct process may determine that they should no longer share in the privilege of participating in the Fraternity.
- We promote respectful and healthy relationships and the well-being and dignity of all people.
Pi Kappa Phi has used this philosophy statement in educational opportunities regarding sexual misconduct, confidential reporting, and is integrated in the fraternity’s conduct process, designed to take into consideration the integrity of all parties involved.
The conduct process for sexual misconduct is separated from undergraduate chapter leadership. Undergraduate members are expected to report any reports of sexual misconduct to Pi Kappa Phi’s Prevention & Accountability team and to not adjudicate reports with the chapter’s standards board.
In a further commitment to addressing allegations of sexual misconduct, Pi Kappa Phi hired Emily Feinstein in January of 2019 as the Director of Membership Accountability. As part of her role, Feinstein coordinates the response of the Fraternity when there are allegations of misconduct. She brings 20 years of university administration experience, and served as Associate Dean of Students for the University of California, San Diego for many years before serving as an Executive Director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she was over student conduct, Title IX, among other areas.
In recognition of recent movements regarding sexual misconduct both in public demonstration and through social media, Pi Kappa Phi affirms its commitment to uphold the positions taken in its philosophy statement, and acknowledges that there is more work to be done to address issues of sexual misconduct in fraternity and sorority life.
We will continue to seek professional guidance, educate our members and commit ourselves to building an organization that accurately reflects Pi Kappa Phi’s public values and those espoused in our Ritual. As members of our campus communities, we have a responsibility as members and as a national organization to address sexual misconduct both inside and outside of our organization.
As we continue to perpetually reassess and revise how we address sexual misconduct, we will continue to listen to expert opinions, our undergraduate members and all reporters of sexual misconduct and being a vocal supporter of initiatives that address it in our campus communities.