A recent incident at Purdue University and insurance concerns have forced the cancellation of the nationally-sponsored Sigma Phi Epsilon “Fight Night” at NIU.

Victor Madison, NIU’s Sigma Phi Epsilon alumni adviser, said “Fight Night was cancelled because of risk management concerns. We are trying to set a tone for some of the other organizations on the NIU campus.”

Fight Night is a philanthropy event featuring boxing matches between members of different fraternities. Money is raised for charity through admission charges and entrance fees. The event was usually held at the Chick Evans Fieldhouse.

A recent press release from the Purdue University News Service stated that on Oct. 2, two Purdue fraternities sponsored an event called “Boiler Bouts,” which is similar to NIU’s Fight Night.

The next morning, Chris Smith, a “Boiler Bouts” participant, was found unconscious, the press release stated. Local hospital officials said Smith lapsed into a coma and is in critical condition.

The cause of Smith’s condition has not been determined yet.

Still, David Williams, president of NIU’s Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter, said NIU’s Fight Night was cancelled because of the implications of potential injuries on the house’s insurance policy. “It would be too much of a financial burden,” Williams said.

“Our nationals were worried about insurance and Fight Night as a whole,” he said. “I feel it’s beneficial because nobody needs to die for a philanthropy. There are safer ways of running a fraternity or sorority as a whole.”

Madison said Fight Night at Purdue was not Sigma Phi Epsilon-related. “Boiler Bouts at Purdue is a campus event.”

The house had discussed cancelling Fight Night for over a year, and last week the decision was made to cancel it nationally, Madison said.