Following a large number of sexual misconduct reports to Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) representatives concerning members of Phi Delta Theta, the Whitman College chapter of the fraternity has suspended all functions indefinitely.

The presidents and SVP representatives of Phi Delta Theta, Panhellenic Council, and Whitman’s four women’s fraternities announced the suspension in an email to the Greek community on Tuesday.

“The health, safety, and well-being of all Greek members are of the utmost importance to us, and as such, we feel that we must take action to address a serious safety concern that has been raised … This is a collaborative effort. Our goals to protect and advocate for victims are the same,” Greek leaders stated.

The authors of the statement declined to comment further to The Pioneer, though they expect to release a short statement clarifying their plans for the future in the next few days. According to the initial statement, social functions will resume only once Phi Delta Theta and women’s fraternity leaders agree there has been a noticeable change in the fraternity’s culture.

In the coming weeks, all members of Phi Delta Theta will be required to attend presentations by All Students for Consent and Greek SVP members. The fraternity will also take steps specified by women’s fraternity leaders that have not been shared with the wider community.

“We pledge to the individuals affected, to all the other Greek organizations, to the entire Whitman community, and to ourselves that unless the community notices a drastic change in behavior, we will not exist as a participant body on this campus,” wrote representatives of Phi Delta Theta in the email.

The SVP reporting system through which complaints were made was developed earlier this year by six Greek student interns for Associate Dean of Students and Student Life Barbara Maxwell. Initially, the reporting system was intended to only handle less-severe cases of sexual misconduct–not sexual assault–through conversations between students. Assault cases are still handled by the college’s official Title IX process. It remains unclear whether the cases brought forward to the SVP representatives were more serious cases than expected, potentially blurring the lines between the SVP system and Title IX. Maxwell declined to be interviewed for this article.

“The perpetration of sexual assault represents a troubling pattern of behavior and a culture we refuse to participate in. We will not socialize with any men who victimize our members, regardless of their Greek affiliation,” wrote representatives of women’s Greek organizations in the email sent earlier this week. “This is a campus-wide issue, and we need to address this problem as a community.”