ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity was suspended at the University of Central Florida after a pair of men were arrested and charged with rape following a party.
While the fraternity is not allowed to take part in any activities on, or off, campus, their house will still be used for recruitment during the coming school year.
The Gamma Phi Beta sorority does not have its own on-campus housing and had made plans to use the ATO house for recruitment before the arrests, officials said.
While the recruitment activities will be taking place in the house, some of the 40 ATO members living in the house will be present.
Fraternity members are asked to stay somewhere other than the house during recruitment week, but there are exceptions, such as a member not having another place to stay for the week or if they have jobs or internships.
A GPB spokeswoman told Channel 9 that the group tried to find another place to hold its recruitment activities, but could not find one on such short notice.
UCF student Sarah Spielman is a member of a co-ed music fraternity at the school and said she would not be OK with attending recruitment activities at the ATO house.
"I know that I would definitely be uncomfortable," she said. "I definitely feel for the sisters of the sorority. I mean, I could not imagine what they're going through."
UCF student Rebecca Marshall hoped that the allegations stemming from the ATO house would not taint other fraternities and sororities at the school.
"It shouldn't prevent people from getting involved in fraternity and sorority life," she said.
Spielman agreed, saying the alleged acts of one group should not cast the rest in a negative light.
"This is really disheartening because whenever you're in one that tries to live by the right values, it just reflects bad on Greek organizations," she said.
UCF officials said that if current or potential sorority members are uncomfortable going into the ATO house, they will be able to meet at a different location.
In July, ATO members Antonio Candido and Alexander Garces were arrested on charges of sexual battery and kidnapping or false imprisonment after a party at the house.
"Gamma Phi Beta entered into a business relationship with ATO several months ago to use their space for recruitment, a common practice on campus. Gamma Phi Beta did attempt to move to a different space for recruitment, but we were unable to secure a second location on short notice.
Gamma Phi Beta wants every potential new member participating in recruitment to feel safe and comfortable; therefore, if any student participating in recruitment is not comfortable attending recruitment rounds at the ATO facility, Gamma Phi Beta will have members ready to meet with those students in a common room provided by the university."
Cox Media Group
