The Delta Tau Delta fraternity was placed on probation until May 31, 2024, due to an incident that occurred on March 2. The charges include violations of health or safety policies, institution motor vehicle policies or parking regulations, student activity regulations and causing a disturbance.
According to an anonymous member of Delta Tau Delta, an intoxicated female was unresponsive in the fraternity basement, and a brother contacted the University Volunteer Ambulance Corps (UVAC). The anonymous student claims there were multiple sober students outside ensuring that the fire lane remained open. However, they all went inside to help the sick female. A student driver parked in the fire lane to pick people up and was struck by the ambulance, causing one of the student’s tires to pop. The anonymous student believes that the vehicle’s presence in the fire lane during an emergency warranted the fraternity’s 14-month probation period.
Aiden Koplovsky, the chief of service at UVAC, explained that on the evening of March 2, they were dispatched for a medical emergency. The University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) notified the Corps that a large number of vehicles were parked in front of the patient location, causing difficulty entering the fraternity parking lot. Upon exiting the parking lot for hospital transportation, the side of the ambulance struck a vehicle.
“Orono Fire Department was contacted, as they are our next-closest ambulance. They were immediately contacted because we were unsure at the time if the ambulance was going to be driveable and we try not to delay patient care,” Koplovsky said. “When they arrived, the crew from UVAC and the crew from Orono Fire determined that the University’s ambulance was still in drivable condition. The damage was minimal.”
UVAC transported the patient via ambulance. Required vehicle documentation, including registration and insurance, was provided to UMPD immediately upon return to campus. UVAC is required to report accidents to UMPD and Risk Management to settle a resolution between drivers. The investigation to determine who was at fault was made between UMPD and the insurance company.
Koplovsky emphasized that while UVAC consists of volunteer UMaine students, they are fully trained in accordance with state qualifications. Participants take a two-day advanced operator class to learn how to drive the ambulance and practice various emergency procedures.
“It is a fully licensed ambulance service, which means we have to follow the same rules as any ambulance service in the state. All of our folks who drive the ambulance have to have an ambulance operator license from the state of Maine…We spend anywhere between 10 and 30 hours training individuals on memorizing the roads on campus and navigating the ambulance,” Koplovsky said.
The Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity is currently unrecognized by the University of Maine and eligible to return on Jan. 21, 2024. Pi Kappa Phi is on suspension until May 30, 2025, meaning they are eligible to return for the fall semester of 2025.
Interfraternity Council President Jacob Heartquist believes the recent violations do not represent UMaine Greek Life collectively, as most fraternity and sorority organizations contribute positively to the community.
“The Greek community here at the University of Maine is intended to be one that focuses on leadership, scholarship, philanthropy, and service. While the fraternities here at UMaine have had an immensely positive impact on the school and the community for over 100 years, the recent actions and behavior of a number of our chapters have not reflected our values or what we are trying to accomplish,” said Heartquist in a statement. “With numerous chapters landing suspensions and probations in the last year, the Fraternity and Sorority Life staff are working hard to find long-term resolutions that will improve Greek Life and fraternities for the better.”
