Bad news from No. Colo.
 

September 13, 2003
Arrests, drugs lead to UNC frat's ouster


By The Denver Post
GREELEY - The University of Northern Colorado has barred a fraternity after two former students were arrested and a raid turned up drugs and stolen school property.



"We felt that what happened was so serious that they could no longer be a frat here," Jean Morrell, dean of students, said Thursday.

The move involves the Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter, which has been at UNC for 50 years. The fraternity can apply to return one year after the last current member has left UNC.

Campus police raided the fraternity house in April and found drugs and stolen university property, including computers and projectors.

David Lesser, 19, and Michael Nguyen, 20, both former UNC students, were arrested.

Well the are not reconzied by the campus now. Did IHQ pull their charter or are they going to just be a non recognized fraternity on campus?

Delta Delta chapter--history
 

The chapter has been disbanded. The chapter will not operate
as a UNC fraternity. They simply would not listen. Even with no
debts, a scroll at 999 and a full board, the chapter simply would
not listen. It was an embarrassment. The crack UNC folks did
not close down the chapter, we did. They were #2 in size of 10
on this rather poor Greek school. We will return, eventually.
Erik P Conard, Board Member, Delta Delta chapter, UNColo.

I attend UNC and I talked to the DDD former VP. He is very upset by the loss of TKE.
Last year I lived behind the TKE house and they were never a problem. A house cannot be responsible for all of their the members if houses were then a lot more houses would be kicked off campus. There are a whole lot of other incidents with other fratneritites yet none of them have been kicked off. But that's probably bc one house comprises student government, and the former UNC president was a member of that fraternity.

I just came across this thread. We were all shocked that this happened, but UNC is starting to crack down on greek houses, it's sad really. There is an apartment building behind the new AOII house, and there are a few TKE alums that live there. They are wonderful men, and we get along great with them! It's too bad the actions of a few ruin it for everyone!!! :mad:

I'm still bothered by this over 10 years later. Unfortunately it's been a struggle to gather the momentum to restart things, a lot of talk but no action which I'm as guilty of as anyone.

I'll be honest I have some criticism on how International has dealt with this. No help at all, only solicitations for donations. There has to be some guidance they can provide?

Ask your national HQ if they would be amenable to having a chapter there again. If the answer is yes, get to Facebook and get the chapter alumni organized. You need to show the support will be there for a rechartered chapter, $wise and time wise.

Unless it's a big 10 or SEC school, most fraternities are not going to go out of their way to charter or recharter a chapter. You have to take the initiative yourselves.

Yep, I know what you're saying. The problem is us alumni, myself included, are all talk and no action. I think everyone knows it's up to us to do it but when it's time to step up nobody does.

My issue with International is when the charter was pulled nothing was said. In my opinion if you pull that charter of a house that's been on campus 50+ years you owe it to those alumni to at least send a letter explaining why it was done and what the plan is moving forward to hopefully reinstall the chapter... instead we hear nothing and just get endless solicitations to donate.

My problem with what you're saying is that you're contradicting yourself. You weren't involved with the chapter (and apparently haven't been involved with your organization as an alumnus), but somehow you think your headquarters "owes" it to you and the other alumni to explain why the charter was pulled.

I think it's probably obvious why. Think about it.

ETA: when a chapter gets in "trouble" and is on the brink of closing, alums come out of the woodwork screaming. But where were they during the slide down the slippery slope? I see this time and time again. Chapters with strong alumni support generally don't close.

I agree with you and I think I admitted my own culpability but you don't think the international HQ owes those alumni and explanation on why a chapter was closed?

Here's the thing, I get endless solicitations to donate and I have in the past but why would I now? When my chapter gets pulled I don't even get a letter... see what I'm saying?

Bottom line I just think other fraternities do a better job handling these situations...

Did I miss something? It looks like the charter was pulled over 10 years ago. Why are you complaining now?

And based on this thread at least, it doesn't look like it was any secret that the charter was pulled, or why.

I see completely what you are saying. However, sorry, I can't agree with you, TKEfromthe90s. You aren't "owed" anything. If you'd been in contact or involved, you'd know. Or, as MysticCat pointed out, it's pretty blatant why the charter was pulled.

And frankly, I don't think it's too respectful to throw shade on your own fraternity.

I do agree with him that the alumni should have received a form letter at the very least letting them know the chapter was closed. Not only is this common courtesy, it also ensures that an underground chapter can't solicit money from unsuspecting alumni.

And yeah, when that's too difficult to do but the donation request finds its way to your mailbox with no problem, that doesn't go over well.

Because he just now found Greek Chat, silly :)

I don't think that alumni are owed an explanation. Many times a charter is pulled after multiple interventions and efforts from the headquarters as well as those involved at the district and local levels. The university may also have been involved. Those alumni who have been involved with the chapter know what's going down. The published article gave plenty of detail. Stolen university property, and drugs:what more does this guy want?

Can't speak for how TKE handled a situation ten-plus years ago. For all I know, a letter WAS sent and he didn't get it. Whatever.

Bottom line: he needs to get into action if he wants to see his chapter return to campus.

If they pull a charter and don't owe an explanation then what's the point of an International HQ?

No letter was sent, unless all the other alumni have been lying to me all these years...

It seems to me that there are a couple of issues here. First, assuming an explanation is "owed," to whom is it owed? The actives of the chapter? Actively involved alumni of the chapter? All alumni of the chapter? The fraternity at large? Or does it vary with the circumstances?

And second, what form does the explanation take? Does it have to be a letter to chapter alumni? Does an announcement on the fraternity website or the fraternity magazine, with an assumption that involved members will see that, suffice?

And third, you keep talking about what your HQ owes you. What about what you owe your fraternity and your chapter? In your own words, "us alumni, myself included, are all talk and no action." Some might say that doesn't put you in the best position to complain.

In any event, if this has been bothering you for 10 years, I'd say it's time to move on. You say you've responded to requests for donations, but ask why you should now. It sounds like you've known for years the chapter was closed. Have you contributed in the last 10 years since the chapter was closed? If you have, then what has changed now? If you haven't, then you really can't complain for not being kept in the loop. Regardless, either do something constructive about the situation or let it go.

We're talking a 50 year old chapter....to expect every member to be involved with the chapter is unrealistic. When you're not talking about schools with houses that necessitate house corps, often the way alums look at things is "no news is good news."

It's up to you to keep your address current with hq (thus enabling thrm to send the donation requests)....but if you do that, yes, you are owed the courtesy of a form letter if the chapter that brought you into the organization is closed. To say that the only alums who "deserve" to find out are those in close contact with the chapter is along the same lines as the weighted legacy debate (i.e. a rushee whose mom is an active volunteer is on a higher tier than a rushee with a mom who for whatever reason didn't get as heavily involved).

Point of information and clarification: 33, I did not say that I expect every member to be involved with a chapter, nor did I say anything about the only ones who "deserve" an explanation are those in close contact. Those were not my words. Not at all. In this particular case, there was publicity, and I don't think he just found out about it last week.

Or if he did - well, there we go again.

I'm with MysticCat. Let it go. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Not really what I was saying either. My point has to do with perspective. Sure, a letter is a good idea, though I think there may be other appropriate ways to notify alumni as well. I'm just saying 10 years is a long time to stew about this for someone who hasn't been actively involved, and that speaks to me about a skewed perspective about what the fraternity owes the alum compared to what the alum owes the fraternity.

Got it. Thanks for catching that, MysticCat. I should have reference the "let it go" comment to apply to the specifics of tkefromthe90s.

What's the expression about "depends on whose ox is being gored?" That comes to mind.

Anyway, I am now going to take my own advice and let it go.

Oops. Maybe I wasn't clear—too early in the morning. I agree with what you said, and was piggy-backing to add my additional thought to it.

Oh, hell - let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya and eat somemores.

Mmmmmmmm....s'mores.

I hate s'mores. :p

How about we pass around a bottle of bourbon instead?

Oh for crying out loud in a bucket.

I doubt he has been "stewing" about this for 10 years. More likely he was just doing a random internet search as we all do, found this page, thought about the circumstances again and it pissed him off again. That's normal. It happens a lot when old memories get stirred up, particularly on Facebook. I hope he gets righteously pissed enough to get his fellow alumni together and get support for restarting the chapter, since according to people who were actually there the many were punished for the actions of a few. Not speaking ill of the dead, but the other comments were coming from a very prejudiced place.

Which is pretty much what "stewing" means—not staying angry but not letting it go either, so that it's under the surface and random things can make it bubble up. And he did say

Quote:

Originally Posted by TKEfromthe90's (Post 2278034) I'm still bothered by this over 10 years later.

In any event, I'm getting a slightly different message from his posts than you are. Regardless, after 10 years, let go of complaining that you didn't get a letter and focus on what you can do going forward.