Chi Phi at Lehigh: All Current Members Become Alums (Hazing, etc.)
 

Lehigh's campus paper reports:

http://media.www.thebrownandwhite.co...-3911163.shtml

Excerpts:

All 45 current members of Chi Phi fraternity were revoked of their active brother status Wednesday morning after being found guilty of multiple charges, including a violation of Lehigh's hazing policy.

In a verdict from the University Committee on Discipline, a panel including a representative from the Office of the Dean of Students, the brothers were given instant alumni status, meaning they are no longer allowed to participate in chapter events or live in the fraternity house after this semester.

Despite their new statuses, the brothers can not participate in any Lehigh Greek alumni events for five years. However, Chi Phi will remain a chapter at Lehigh.

Chi Phi was ordered to suspend all activity on March 18 by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The suspension stemmed from allegations the fraternity had violated multiple codes of conduct. . . .

The task of forming the next Chi Phi new member class for the spring of 2011 now falls on the chapter's local alumni association and representatives from Chi Phi national headquarters.

. . . Meanwhile, the new alumni whose active brother statuses were revoked will need to find new housing, excluding graduating seniors. Though rising sophomores are guaranteed on-campus housing by Lehigh, rising juniors are looking for a new place to live.

All 11 new members are no longer allowed to have any association with Chi Phi, but they may still become involved in the Lehigh Greek system.

Chi Phi is planning on appealing the decision, and has until Wednesday to do so. . . .

This seems like a rather complicated way to just shut down the chapter. Honestly how are they going to recruit current students if they only have to rely on alumni?

I think this all depends on their standing on campus. If they were a popular chapter and people think the charges were BS, it's going to be an epic fail and "Omicron Chi Phi" (Old Chi Phi) are going to be the rock stars, without having to pay those pesky dues. And any new guys are going to be the "carpetbaggers."

I thought that, too, and I have no idea. However, Lehigh has plenty of bright alums and bright students, so, for Chi Phi's sake, maybe they'll come up with some creative and successful methods.

Strict school? I know a school that a dude died and all the guys had to do was pay a fine. The schools ruling was that he participated and took on the risk involved.

They approach it like a recolonization in this instance.

Quit posting racist crap or Snuffleupagus will kick your ass.

http://www.healthyweightforkids.org/...ffleupagus.gif

Allowing a chapter to remain on campus after making all current members go alum, leads me to believe that Chi Phi has some influential alumni. And that the Lehigh Administration knows this and wants to keep the Chi Phi alumni involved with the Lehigh campus. (Think donations.)

I am confused by this statement. Does this mean that the "11 new members" are current Chi Phi pledges and will not be initiated into Chi Phi? And as such, they may join any other fraternity? Or does it mean that they are newly initiated members of Chi Phi, but they may not associate with the newly made Chi Phi alumni? If the "11 new members" are initiated members of Chi Phi, then why were they not given alumni status as well?

(I think I may be reading something into this that may not be there, but my guess is that the "11 new members" are pledges. I blame it on the use of "new members" and what that means to different folk. Thus the confusion.)

Perhaps, not one of Lehigh's brightest students.

Perhaps not one of Lehigh's brightest chapters.

I find this so odd. Something very similar happened to Kappa Sigma at NLU, now Univ of Louisiana at Monroe, though I don't think Kappa Sigma is there anymore. The pledges reported the actives for severe hazing in 1992 or so. The entire chapter was kicked out except for the pledges, who were the victims of the hazing. They ended up initiated and were allowed to continue running the chapter. I don't understand why the Chi Phi new members are being kicked out if the chapter is staying open, why can't they be initiated and kept active? Unless, of course, they broke Lehigh rules, as well.

Been watching Sesame Street lately, 33girl? I always like Snuffy, but my Mama wouldn't let me watch that show!

LMAO! WIN!

But if the alums are friends with/in touch with the current members, a housecleaning will lead to the exact opposite result.

I agree.

However, it might be that the alums didn't really know (what ever that might mean) any of the current members. Or it might be that the members were going to get removed one way or the other. As such, the alums were able to "save" the chapter while making sure that the current members (friends or not) were allowed to go alum.

I guess my point is that it is unusual that all the members of a chapter are removed, yet the chapter remains active.

Given the bolded part below...

...seems to indicate that the powers that be at Lehigh are willing to allow the Chi Phi chapter (name as it were) to remain. Plus they are flat out stating that the local alumni will have a say in membership selection. Thus the direction of the chapter.

The lack of loosing the chapter's charter - while the whole membership is made to go alum - normally only happens when a chapter has influential alumni. And often with "deep pockets" to boot.

"Something very similar happened to Kappa Sigma at NLU, now Univ of Louisiana at Monroe, though I don't think Kappa Sigma is there anymore."

Kappa Sigma's chapter at UL Monroe (Theta-Chi) was revoked. But Kappa Sigma returned a few years later, and the restored Theta-Chi Chapter is thriving.

I guess the train of thought regarding the pledges must have been that since they were bid and chosen by the actives who just got in trouble, they wou;d be way too much like the old guys, and influence the new chapter in the wrong way.

Good to know, then again I could have just looked it up on the IFC site! :)

I know one Chi Phi Lehigh alum, and he is a "fourth"---_____ _. ______ IV. Grandfather founded this company that bears the name, father is CEO now.....so if he is representative of the chapter, I'm guessing that the university does want to keep the alumni happy.

I think that in addition to the strong alumni of the chapter, that the location of the houses at Lehigh might make the administration want to keep the house occupied, given that the alumni are willing to re-fill it quickly.

For those who don't know, Lehigh is located on a mountain, south of the Lehigh river. Its actually part of the Great Valley, which runs from New England to Georgia, and the Appalachian Trail is on the northern side. So the mountain is quite steep and covered by forest except for the lower part where most of the school is located.

The 'Row' is really a winding, switch-back road that climbs through the woods for quite a way. The houses aren't that close to each other and it can get dark there at night. There is easy access from a road which skirts the campus too. Chi Phi is near the top, which is isolated, and I can see the school not wanting it to be unattended for any length of time.