TROY — Administrators at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are poised to halt recruiting at the school’s fraternities during a mandatory “Stand Down,” which could last through the fall.

The move, though, is prompting a backlash from some alumni, including fraternity and sorority members, who are talking about withholding donations to the school if the halt goes through.

“The Greek community is ready to do that,” Katelyn O’Neil, a treasurer of the Class of 2014 alumni officers, said of their plans to stop donating if the recruiting freeze is enacted.

“It is almost inevitable,” she added of the move.

RPI officials on Thursday would only say they were creating a Greek Life Task Force to examine aspects of the school’s fraternities and sororities.

“In light of recent incidents, we must determine the next steps Rensselaer should take to address issues within the Greek system at Rensselaer and to ensure the Greek organizations fulfill their intended purpose within our community,” RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson said in a letter to members of the school community last week.

“I am appointing a Greek Life Task Force, led by Le Norman Strong, Interim Vice President for Student Life, to assess the system, and work with the community to identify what is necessary to enact a long-term, sustainable, and comprehensive culture change to preserve the positive aspects of the Greek system.”

The letter noted: “Just recently, within our Greek system, we have experienced drug-related tragedies, alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, and instances of hazing.”

Alumni, though, said that Strong, in a presentation made over the weekend, signaled the school plans a “pause of all rush, recruitment and intake efforts,” for Greek organizations. That was according to a slide show presented to fraternity/sorority leaders and alumni over the weekend and viewed by the Times Union.

Also on hold going forward are social events with alcohol.

The announcement came after most students had left school for the semester.

Critics say that halting recruitment through the fall when the annual rush period takes place, could cripple the Greek organizations.

And while Jackson referenced a number of issues, news of the planned Stand Down came days after a TV news report on CBS 6, in which an anonymous former RPI student said she was raped at a fraternity event in December 2016.

“Some consensual stuff happened and then he forced himself on me,” the woman said in the news report.

O’Neil’s organization, on a Facebook page, said it would urge other graduates to withhold financial support and recruitment of students if the Stand Down goes through.

“If such a suspension is put in place, we will withdraw our support of the Institute. We will actively engage our peers, including other alumni class leaders, to discourage further financial contribution and admissions support,” reads a letter from Class of 2014 officers posted Wednesday on the Facebook page maintained by Save RPI Greek Life, a group supporting the school’s fraternities and sororities.

Also weighing in was RPI’s Interfraternity Council.

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“These potential sanctions are intended to promote our Greek community: however, we believe that their consequences would hurt us,” stated a letter to the school’s Greek community.

With about 23 percent of students participating in fraternities and sororities, Greek organizations are a sizable presence at the school.

O’Neil added that Greek alumni make up a big part of the donor base and a majority of those who return to the campus for events like Alumni Weekend.

She said she believes part of the concern comes from national stories over hazing at fraternities and sororities.

But she said she never experienced that at RPI.

“You hear horror stories from other universities,” said O’Neil. “I was never hazed. People who go to a school like RPI are really there for the academics.”

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU