DePauw reaches agreement with Delta Zeta

Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sorority could return to campus in 2010-11 school year.

The doors to the DePauw University chapter of Delta Zeta sorority will likely remain closed for some time following their closure earlier this year amid a nationally-publicized scandal of unfair profiling of members.

The information came by way of statement made Friday by officials from DePauw University and Delta Zeta.

University officials terminated their relationship with the sorority in March, after 23 students were evicted from the Delta Zeta house and placed on "alumni status" after national representatives of Delta Zeta conducted a "membership review."

Students received notification of evictions one week before final examinations, in December 2006.

The evictions created nationwide media coverage, with ousted members accusing the sorority of expelling them based on physical appearance and popularity.

Delta Zeta filed suit against DePauw in Federal District Court on March 28, 2007, accusing the university of breaking contracts, defaming the sorority and interfering with its business relationships.

They sought a public apology, an acknowledgement that Delta Zeta did not make any decisions based on appearance and race, unspecified damages, and the sorority's return to the university's Greek system.

Though only sparse details of the agreement are available at this time, Delta Zeta National Sorority will have the opportunity to seek a return to DePauw's campus at the start of the 2010-11 academic year.

There was no mention of a financial arrangement between the two parties in DePauw's statement, available at www.depauw.edu, and no public apology has been issued.

Officials at DePauw and Delta Zeta were not willing to expand their comments beyond their publicly issued statements.

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