NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers University is banning all fraternity and sorority house parties for the remainder of the spring semester after several alcohol-related incidents on campus, university officials said Monday.

The ban, which students are calling an informal "social probation," applies to all 86 of Rutgers' fraternities and sororities.

"Rutgers takes seriously its commitment to maintaining a healthy and safe campus environment. In light of a number of alcohol-related incidents this year involving Greek organizations, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs has placed a moratorium through the end of the semester on parties in fraternity and sorority houses," said E.J. Miranda, a Rutgers spokesman.

Fraternities and sororities will be permitted to hold their end-of-the-year "formals" and other events arranged at off-campus facilities where third-party vendors serve alcohol. The Rutgers University Dance Marathon, a student-run fundraiser, will also go on, as planned, this weekend.

But all other fraternity and sorority parties must be cancelled or the Greek organizations could face disciplinary action from the Rutgers Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, or OFSA.

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"OFSA is taking this step out of caution and concern and will use this time to continue and reinforce its dialogue with the leadership of the university's 86 recognized fraternities and sororities about Greek life at Rutgers and their responsibilities to the campus community at large," Miranda said.

The presidents of all 86 fraternities and sororities and other Greek life leaders learned about the ban Wednesday during a meeting with university officials in New Brunswick. They discussed the recent negative publicity surrounding Greek life at Rutgers and around the nation.

"Our advisors and administration thought it would be best that Rutgers doesn't fall into that trap," said Erin Kearns, president of Rutgers' Panhellenic Association, the governing body for the university's sororities.

Students said the 9 p.m. meeting at the Rutgers Student Center went on for several hours as Greek life leaders discussed the "social probation" and raised concerns that the party ban meant graduating seniors would miss out on farewell gatherings at their fraternities and sororities.

In the end, the Greek leaders seemed to accept the ban, Kearns said.

"It kind of became the idea of what are we willing to risk our community for? Is it really worth it for the last three weeks of our semester?" said Kearns, a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.

The ban comes after a difficult year for fraternities and sororities at Rutgers.

In September, Rutgers student Caitlyn Kovacs, 19, of Monmouth Junction, died of alcohol poisoning after friends took her to the hospital after seeing her in distress at a party at the Delta Kappa Epsilon house in New Brunswick. Authorities did not say if Kovacs was drinking at the house or elsewhere that evening.

In a separate incident about six weeks later, a severely intoxicated 20-year-old member of Sigma Phi Epsilon was hospitalized. In March, the national headquarters of Sigma Phi Epsilon "indefinitely suspended" the Rutgers chapter in reaction to the incident involving the hospitalized student.

Delta Kappa Epsilon, the fraternity where Kovacs attended a party before her death, has been suspended by Rutgers pending a university review, Miranda said. Another five unnamed Rutgers fraternities are also facing campus discipline reviews for alcohol-related incidents.

About 4,500 Rutgers students, or about 10 percent of students on Rutgers' New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, are part of fraternities and sororities, officials said.

Rutgers joins a growing list of colleges and universities taking campus-wide measures in reaction to bad behavior among Greek organizations.

At North Carolina State University, campus officials banned all fraternity activities involving alcohol last month after learning about a "pledge book" filled with jokes about raping women and lynching African-American men.

At Dartmouth College, the school's president announced in January that hard alcohol would be banned campus-wide after the university was accused of not responding adequately to accusations of sexual assault.

Last year, Johns Hopkins University in Maryland banned all social events at fraternities after a 16-year-old was allegedly sexually assaulted at a fraternity party. Clemson University in South Carolina also suspended all fraternity activities last semester after a fraternity brother was killed after falling off a bridge.

NJ Advance Media reporter Adam Clark contributed to this report.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find NJ.com on Facebook.