In conduct proceedings, SU gets to make the rules and change them at will
Emily Steinberger | Photo Editor
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When Alpha Chi Rho sued Syracuse University in June after being suspended, the fraternity argued that university officials led a conduct proceeding riddled with errors.
Most alarming to the fraternity and its lawyers was how one university official single-handedly changed the trajectory of the case.
After a student alleged that members of the fraternity shouted a racial slur at a student, a University Conduct Board suspended Crow, claiming that a guest of the fraternity may have shouted the slur. But a University Appeals Board said no policy exists at SU that would make the fraternity responsible for the actions of a guest. The appeals board overturned the prior ruling and threw out the suspension.
The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the Onondaga County Supreme Court, claims that the university imposed disproportionate sanctions after it accused the student of distributing marijuana.