The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source: Fox News
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:30 PM
Bill Introduced In State Senate That Woud Ban Fraternities, Sororities In TN
House Bill 2042 would prohibit those organizations, other than professional fraternities and honor societies, from "being recognized by, associated with, or operating on the campus of any state institution of higher education."
The bill would amend the current Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 7, Part 1 legislation, which states that, "If an institution of higher education in this state permits a fraternity to locate and maintain a residential house on the campus of the institution, then the institution shall not prohibit a sorority from locating and maintaining a residential house on the campus of the institution. Any rules applying to a sorority house shall be no less stringent than those applying to a fraternity house."
The amended legislation would totally bar both organizations, excluding professional fraternities, which were defined in the bill as, "any local or national organization created for the primary purpose of promoting the interests of a particular profession and whose membership is limited to students studying in that particular field or professional education or study."
The proposed bill would take effect on July 1, 2018.
As of 2018, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has enacted 40 established organizations on campus, including 18 sororities and 22 fraternities.