The fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu will no longer be recognized by the University of Michigan, and the sorority Sigma Delta Tau has been placed on disciplinary suspension following the groups' vandalism of Treetops ski resorts during the weekend of Jan. 16-18.
In addition to the university's dismissal of Sigma Alpha Mu, U-M officials have also asked the fraternity's national office to revoke the charter of the U-M chapter and place additional sanctions on the fraternity before it could again become of part of Greek Life on campus.
In the week after the incident, Sigma Alpha Mu's national chapter placed the group on an indefinite suspension, barring it from participating in any formal events.
The university informed the student leaders of the affected fraternities and sororities today by providing them letters that outline the sanctions.
In her letter to the Sigma Alpha Mu chapter, Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones, the one who issued the sanctions, wrote: "We are extremely disappointed by the reprehensible behavior and failure of groups to come forward with information regarding the individuals who are responsible for the incident. We strongly believe that individuals should accept responsibility for their actions."
In her letter to Sigma Delta Tau, Jones said that sorority members' failure to officially report or stop acts of vandalism "contributed to the destructive behavior" during the weekend.
"This egregious behavior and failure to act are inconsistent with the University of Michigan's standards of conduct for student organizations and for members of the student body. Similarly, failure to take group accountability for chapter members' behavior is not acceptable," she wrote.
U-M President Mark Schlissel said he has "profound disappointment" in the actions of these students.
"I want to express my deep appreciation for the Greek Life student leaders who initiated the judicial process and for the university's Student Life team for addressing these situations firmly and fairly through our established process," the president said.
"I hope the broader Greek community can learn from this experience so they can continue to participate in the many positive aspects of Greek Life while avoiding extreme, risky and inappropriate behaviors. It's important that we allow this process to move forward."
In addition to the sanctions against Sigma Alpha Mu and Sigma Delta Tau, U-M officials also issued sanctions against the two fraternities and two sororities responsible for damages that same weekend at Boyne Highland Resort near Harbor Springs. Those damages were determined not to be malicious.
The Greek organizations at Boyne -- Pi Kappa Alpha and Chi Psi fraternities and Alpha Phi and Delta Gamma sororities -- will face formal written reprimands, restricted activities and required restorative measures.
Jones also wrote letters to each of those four Greek organizations.
"We are disappointed at the behavior of members of your organization at Boyne Highlands ... that included poor planning, excessive occupancy of rooms and unusual wear and tear resulting in damage to the facilities," she wrote.
"In issuing these sanctions we have noted that members of your organization did not engage in malicious destruction of property and have taken full accountability for their actions."
Michigan State Police are still investigating the incidents that happened at both resorts in order to decide whether criminal charges will follow.
Damages at Treetops trumped $100,000 and Boyne estimates damages at about $25,000. The damage included broken doors, furniture and fixtures, trashing of carpet and other facilities, and broken electronics.
Michigan State Police Sgt. Jeff Gorno said that the investigation is ongoing at Treetops.
"They're looking at filing some charges, but the report needs to be finished first with names and all that and they'll make the decision there at the prosecutor's office," Gorno said late last week.
"Something like that, with that many people, it's difficult to come up with the individuals responsible."
MSP officials said no arrests were made at the scene of the incident because they were called to Treetops at 8:30 a.m. Sunday after the damage had been done. Officials added that they were not going to arrest anyone in particular "just because they're in the hallway or in an adjoining room" without any evidence pointing to the individuals most responsible for the damage.
Jeremy Allen is the higher education reporter for The Ann Arbor News, covering the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College. Follow him on twitter at @JeremyAllenA2. Contact him at 810-247-4625 or jallen42@mlive.com. Find other University of Michigan-related stories here on MLive.com.