A frat party caused $430,000 in damages at a ski resort in Michigan. According to Gawker , more than 100 students from the University of Michigan rented 45 rooms at the Treetops Resort in January. It was reported that the majority of the students on the trip were in a fraternity or a sorority. Upon checkout, the group left behind a good amount of destruction . Aside from destroyed furniture, and items broken in the rooms, staff at the resort say that the carpets had been urinated on.
Students destroy luxury ski lodge on weekend-long bender to tune of £280,000 http://t.co/S4HMrpd3Hv pic.twitter.com/8dX9o1HMXz
— Daily Star (@Daily_Star) March 2, 2015
The resort’s general manager Barry Owens couldn’t even believe the amount of damage that these kids did in one weekend.
“If you just look at our out-of-pocket expenses, things we’ve paid to contractors, third parties, it’s around $230,000. It doesn’t take into consideration management time or damage to the resort’s reputation. Our accountants and attorneys are saying that this could be up to an additional $200,000…We’re now talking a total of $430,000.”
The frat party didn’t only cause $430,000 in damages. According to Fox News , the University of Michigan found out about the weekend getaway, and held the fraternity involved responsible. While no criminal charges have been filed , Sigma Alpha Mu will not be recognized as a campus organization for the next four years. The sorority involved, Sigma Delta Tau, was also punished, given a two-year probation of sorts. Four other campus organizations were also held accountable with less severe repercussions.
“We are embarrassed and ashamed of the behavior of a few of our chapter members at Treetops Resort over the weekend of January 17-18. This behavior is inconsistent with the values, policies, and practices of this organization,” Sigma Alpha Mu wrote on their website.
Damage now tops $125K after #UM frat/sorority members vandalize 2 N. MI resorts. http://t.co/PhRl3tgeme @WLNS pic.twitter.com/PVgHu2sCJV
— WLNS Newsroom (@WLNS) January 28, 2015
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , residents of Gaylord want to see criminal charges brought against the students involved. Many feel that the punishment handed down by the University wasn’t strict enough, and ultimately won’t teach these kids the lesson that they need to be taught.
“I think it would be a real life lesson for them to graduate with a felony and see how hard it is to get a job,” said Gaylord resident Becky Nelson.
The frat party’s $430,000 in damages really means nothing if the kids aren’t held responsible. Aside from perhaps helping to clean up, or being forced to pay for the destruction they left behind, what do you think would be proper punishment for the University of Michigan students? Should anyone have been expelled?
[Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]