Two Cal Poly fraternities paid the price for repeated noise violations and unruly gatherings when the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission revoked their conditional use permits.
On March 11, Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) found themselves without permits after racking up a total of 13 citations from the SLO Police Department from 2024 to 2026, along with several notices of violations and administrative citations from the city’s Code Enforcement Division.
Despite agreeing to the penalty, Planning Commission Chair Dave Houghton criticized the process, stating that revoking the conditional use permit doesn’t necessarily address the misbehaving frat.
“The conditional use permit process, that’s the tool we have to work with, it’s not exactly a Swiss Army knife, it’s like a hammer,” he said. “If we revoke, you guys can still have your house, you can still meet, … you can’t officially call yourself a fraternity, but you can join the other fraternities that no longer hold a conditional use permit but still operate as fraternities.”
Lambda Chi Alpha and AEPi belong to a string of local frats with revoked permits. Last year, the Planning Commission quashed the permits of the Delta Chi, Sigma Nu, and Delta Upsilon chapter houses—underpinning SLO’s response to unsanctioned frat parties in residential neighborhoods, which have also been criticized by longtime residents and the SLO County grand jury.
Community members and the grand jury asked for stricter enforcement and for Cal Poly to assume more responsibility in managing Greek life and separating it from family neighborhoods.
One such resident, Steve Walker, voiced his frustration at the March 11 Planning Commission meeting.
“Where is Cal Poly? Absent from this conversation, and the city continues to bend to Cal Poly’s will,” he said. “They need to have a fraternity situation on campus.”
Walker confirmed he was one of the people who complained to the police in April 2025 about AEPi for noise disturbance at 10 p.m. when they hosted a gathering with 100 attendees.
“I actually moved my family out of that neighborhood, and we no longer live in that neighborhood because we’ve consistently been told by fraternity members … that, ‘You’re not welcome in this neighborhood, you don’t belong here,’” he said. “This is the mentality of fraternities when no one is looking, unfortunately, but when moms and dads are around, different story.”
‘The conditional use permit process, that’s the tool we have to work with, it’s not exactly a Swiss Army knife, it’s like a hammer.’
—David Houghton, SLO Planning Commission chair
On March 18, a week after the Planning Commission meeting, Walker’s wife, Kathie, filed a writ of mandate against the California State University board of trustees and Cal Poly President Jeff Armstrong to disclose the addresses of all registered fraternity-sanctioned events.
Lambda Chi Alpha members didn’t attend the Planning Commission meeting. While city staff couldn’t specify what police officers observed at the frat’s parties to warrant “unruly gathering” violations, Assistant City Attorney Markie Kersten told commissioners that the definition comprises noise disturbance, obstruction of public right of way, public drunkenness, minors drinking alcohol, fights, and disturbances of peace.
Staff added that Lambda Chi Alpha also owed the city $7,750 in unpaid fees stemming from the original permit application and its re-review process.
Joshua Pinsky, president of the Sigma Omega chapter of AEPi, said they take full responsibility for his frat’s noise violations. He added that the frat had made some progress.
“In the academic year prior to this hearing, our chapter received 13 citations. Since then, that number dropped to two citations the following academic year, with a third occurring in October,” Pinsky said. “Since those earlier incidents, we’ve strengthened internal monitoring procedures, improved communication with neighbors, and increased accountability within chapter leadership.”
AEPi is the Jewish frat where an alleged antisemitic assault took place outside the house on Feb. 28. At the time, SLOPD said that four to five white men, between 20 and 25 years old, arrived in a lifted white truck and yelled antisemitic slurs at frat residents. During the confrontation, one of the suspects punched a resident in the head.
Rabbi Micah Hyman of Congregation Beth David spoke in support of AEPi retaining its permit.
“The Yiddish term ‘mensch’ just means to be human, to be a good person, but I want to speak to the reputable character of these individuals at AEPi,” he said. “The intense situation within our Jewish community and our support from our general community is one of fellowship and partnership, and we want to continue that as much as possible.”
While the Planning Commission expressed sympathy for the hardships faced by AEPi, it also stressed its purview: re-examining the frat’s permit because it failed to comply with the multiple attached conditions.
“I hear you, I understand the whole cultural place to practice your traditions and all that. I think it’s great, but at the end of the day, everyone’s treated the same,” Planning Commission Vice Chair Eric Tolle said. “Unfortunately, like it was alluded to, Cal Poly doesn’t provide any on-campus space for this type of activity, so therefore, you’re subject to the city laws and ordinances.” ∆
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2026.