A former president of the sorority Chi Omega took approximately $7,000 in sorority funds according to a recently released UPD report.
Two students in the sorority met with UPD and Detective Joseph Anderson to discuss a theft made in 2016 by then-president Natalie Susanne Benson on Friday, March 31.
According to the UPD report, the two students said that, in 2016, members of the organization discovered that Benson had misused the sorority chapter’s credit card for unauthorized spending, leaving $7,000 unaccounted for.
It was stated in the report that the Chi Omega board members conducted an investigation and had personnel meetings with Benson in April of 2016.
According to the report, during those meetings, Benson was confronted about the charges and she admitted to misusing the cards and agreed to repay the sorority.
Eagle News reached out to Benson by Facebook Messenger and email and, at the time of publication, has not received a response.
In the report, the two individuals provided UPD with photocopies of the meeting’s minutes, letters and receipts for proof. Eagle News requested the copies of these documents from UPD; however, UPD declined, stating that the investigation is still active.
Later, Benson resigned as both chapter president and member of the organization. She agreed to pay the money back, but according to the report, the sorority has only received a cashier’s check for $580 and nothing else.
According to the report, Benson is refusing to pay any more money back.
The report states that Anderson would attempt to obtain statements from the individuals that were on the board at that time, and the two students are going to provide UPD with more information on the sorority’s bylaws and the actual amount missing, with specific times, dates and any receipts. It was unclear at the time of publication if that occurred.
The case remains open and is pending further investigation, according to UPD.
Eagle News reached out to the two students involved and was told that because it is an open investigation, the reporter needed to reach out to the Chi Omega Headquarters for comment.
Eagle News sent the organization an email asking for a comment, called Whitney Plumpton, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations, and left a voicemail. Plumpton did not return Eagle News’ call at the time of publication.
Panhellenic president Antonia Jacobse says that the board doesn’t primarily deal with issues involving internal conflict.
“Panhellenic is the governing body for all six sororities and it’s like a unifying medium between all of the organizations,” Jacobse said. “Therefore, Panhellenic focuses on community issues, whereas chapters focus on organization-base issues.”
Check back with Eagle News for more on this developing story.