On November 29, the Western Carolinian printed an article concerning the temporary probation of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity pending the investigation of a fight that occurred at the fraternity’s house involving members of the baseball team.
The Carolinian has recently learned that the WCU Athletic Department conducted the investigation into the baseball team and the women’s tennis team, members of which were also involved, according to Jeff Compher, director of WCU athletics.
Compher said that the athletic department prefers to handle disciplinary matters on an individual basis, but that it was hard to pinpoint the individuals involved in this incident.
Members of the baseball team, according to Compher, are attending conflict resolution sessions; also, the athletic department is trying to restrict the team’s “comings and goings to the baseball house.”
According to anonymous sources, the women’s tennis team was involved in the original incident that provoked the fight, but WCU officials would not give details concerning how the incident occurred or why.
Compher stated that the women’s tennis team is undergoing alcohol assessment due to alleged underage drinking.
“We are trying to approach this from an educational standpoint,” Compher said. “Some of our planning is long term. Both teams have responded well to the incident and what we’re trying to do.”
“We want to create support, not division,” Compher added. “We’ve had long discussions with the teams concerning how their actions reflect on athletics and on WCU.”
Compher also said that members of both teams had been informed that a similar incident would result in their suspension from their respective teams.
