Schools
Frat Disbanded after $430K Carnage at Ski Resort
Sigma Alpha Mu members not only damaged 45 rooms, but also refused to take responsibility, fraternity leader says.

Barry Owens, manager of the Treetops resort in northern Michigan, said he hasn’t seen damage to the extent of that resulting from a wild weekend fraternity party in 30 years of hotel management. (Courtesy photo)
The University of Michigan fraternity that reportedly caused an estimated $430,000 damage to a ski resort during a wild weekend party earlier this year and then failed to accept responsibility for it has been permanently disbanded.
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Sigma Alpha Mu national executive director Leland Manders announced the chapter is being dissolved in a statement.
“It is regrettable that these vandals, as well as the officers of the chapter, decided that avoiding personal accountability and/or university sanctions took priority over the welfare of the entire chapter; their lack of cooperation led to the university’s withdrawal of recognition of the entire chapter for a four-year period,” Manders wrote. “Sigma Alpha Mu worked in cooperation with university officials and regretfully agreed with their request to close the chapter.”
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Related:
- Penn State Frat Suspended Over Nude Facebook Photos
- Wild Weekend Frat Party Causes $430K of Damage at Ski Resort: Owner
Barry Owens, the manager of the Treetop ski resort in northern Michigan, said that in 30 years of resort management, he had never seen damage to the extent of that left behind by 120 students representing the fraternity and its sister, sorority Sigma Delta Tau.
When the students checked out of the Gaylord resort, they left behind smashed ceiling tiles, broken doors, overturned and destroyed furniture and broken exit signs. Owens said students urinated on everything in sight, including the carpet.
In the statement, Manders said some of the disgraced fraternity members face disciplinary action from “various authorities.”
The Michigan State Police is investigating, but no charges have been filed.
» Read more on the Detroit Free Press website.
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