Office of Student Life

Sorority and Fraternity Life

Unrecognized Organizations

For more than 140 years, Sorority and Fraternity Life (SFL) has been an integral part of the student experience at The Ohio State University. Due to violations of the Code of Student Conduct for very serious safety concerns, Ohio State has derecognized several social fraternities in recent years

Organizations that have had their recognition suspended by the university due to violations of the Code of Student Conduct include:

  • Acacia
  • Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi or APES)
  • Chi Phi
  • Delta Kappa Epsilon (Deek or DKE)
  • Kappa Sigma (Kappa Sig)
  • Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt)
  • Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike)
  • Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT)

Such “off-campus” or “underground” organizations, and suspended organizations generally, are not recognized at Ohio State. They no longer have the rights and privileges afforded to a recognized student organization, have no affiliation, supervision or advising by Ohio State, and are not otherwise under any university purview. Likewise, they do not follow the established rules for social Greek-lettered organizations and do not give the university the names of their members.

Students and families are strongly encouraged to review the disciplinary history of the social Greek-lettered organizations they wish to join and make informed decisions. Students are strongly discouraged from joining or attending the events of unrecognized student groups.

If your student is interested in becoming involved with a fraternity or sorority at Ohio State, please keep the following requirements and recommendations in mind:

  • The university requires students to achieve a 2.5 cumulative grade point average with at least 12 college credit hours for membership eligibility in a recognized fraternity or sorority.
  • If your student’s organization does not enforce academic requirements, they are joining an unrecognized group.

If your student is a current member of an unrecognized organization:

  • The university advises that the organization has been found in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Students participating in these organizations do so without any engagement from Ohio State and students should give serious consideration to their continued involvement.
  • Students who engage in activity that violates the Code of Student Conduct, including hazing, alcohol and other violations, may also be subject to discipline up to and including dismissal from Ohio State.

A complete list of all recognized student organizations at Ohio State can be found on the Student Activities website, which includes fraternities and sororities.

Our team values the partnership we have with the recognized fraternities and sororities who meet the expectations of our Code of Student Conduct, the principles of our Standards of Excellence and the policies and values of their inter/national organizations and our local governing councils. If you have any questions about Sorority and Fraternity Life at Ohio State, please contact our Sorority and Fraternity Life staff via email or contact a staff member directly using their website information found on the SFL website.

We encourage your student to consider joining recognized clubs and organizations. We are confident that your students’ involvement outside the classroom will enrich their time as a Buckeye.