Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed business fraternity at UNC, is no longer affiliated with the University’s Undergraduate Business Program until at least fall 2024 following complaints about how some of the organization’s recruitment events were conducted.
In an email to potential new members, Associate Dean of the UBP Shimul Melwani and Assistant Dean of the UBP Jordan Hale said they received “very concerning complaints'’ from students about the recruitment process.
In particular, the email said the organization’s “Something From Nothing” recruitment event at Koury Auditorium on Wednesday, Jan. 18, included inappropriate content and comments that were “insulting and hurtful to individuals and identities.”
“It was clear to us that this event embodied harassment,” Melwani and Hale said in the email.
The email said that, after they received complaints from students, Melwani and Hale spoke with DSP leadership and held a meeting including all members of the fraternity to clarify how the behavior exhibited during the event was “unacceptable" and discuss how it made other students feel "hurt, uncomfortable, embarrassed, and insulted."
Melwani and Hale also said they made a formal incident report to the Title IX office of UNC’s Equal Opportunities and Compliance Office, which will conduct its own investigation into the organization, according to the email. The investigation may yield additional sanctions for DSP. Sanctions may also be levied on the organization through the Office of Student Conduct.
“We want to make it clear to you that the actions of DSP were antithetical to everything the UBP is aiming to create and encourage in our program,” the email said. “We want an Undergraduate Business Program that is open and welcoming to all, no matter their background, experience, or identity.”
DSP is not eligible for affiliation with the Undergraduate Business Program until fall 2024, and future association with the program is dependent on the results of the Title IX office’s investigation, according to the email from the program’s leaders.
“We are grateful to the students who came forward and spoke to us about this event,” the email said. “If you are disillusioned with the business school because of your experience with this event, we urge you to reach out so we can connect you with a staff member to talk about you and how the UBP can help you achieve your goals in business.”
