SPE Utah State leaves IFC
 

Sig Eps leave the Greek Council

By: Elizabeth Lawyer
Issue date: 11/7/05 Section: Campus News

The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity (UT State) has left the Greek Council, citing differences in values as the main cause of the split.
Shane Russell, president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said, "We decided to disassociate ourselves from the council so we could disassociate from other frats."
Russell said according to a survey given on campus, 37 percent of Greeks - fraternity and sorority members - have provided alcohol to a minor and 82.9 percent of students who belong to a fraternity say drinking is a main part of frat life. In addition, 17 percent of Greeks admit they have been taken advantage of sexually while under the influence of alcohol.
Russell said things like this are why Sigma Phi Epsilon wants to cultivate an image different than other fraternities. He said participating in the council simply wasn't beneficial to the fraternity.
"When you're governed by the same body, you're given the bad reputation along with other fraternities," he said.
Cameron Gordon, president of the Greek Council, said Sigma Phi Epsilon's withdrawal from the council was not voluntary, contrary to Russell's statement. He said they had violated rules laid out in the council's constitution, so the council voted to give them a chance to reconcile before voting them off. He said Sigma Phi Epsilon had been on probationary status as part of a routine process before a fraternity or sorority is accepted fully on to the council.
Two of the rules broken involved communication. Sigma Phi Epsilon had not been in communication with the university or the Greek adviser and Russell missed one of the council's mandatory meetings, Gordon said.
"If the chapter president misses a council meeting, he or she will be notified that the fraternity or sorority is in danger of losing its good standing with the council," Gordon said.
Adrian Sample, co-president of Greek Council, said the fraternity received a written warning from the council.
"We sent them a letter two weeks ago that outlined the by-laws broken. It came down to 'we kick you off or you resign,'" she said. The letter gave the fraternity two weeks to reconcile. Russell said he sent the council a formal resignation letter a week and a half ago.
One of the biggest problems the council had with Sigma Phi Epsilon was a section of their recruitment fliers, which Gordon said was slanderous to other fraternities.
"They basically painted the picture that if you're going to join a frat, join theirs, because if you join another frat you will be promoting drugs and alcohol," he said.
Russell said the fliers were not intended to damage other fraternities' image.
"We made no direct reference to any other frat," Russell said. "We were not in any way trying to slander another frat. We simply stated our beliefs."
Gordon said he was the one who asked Sigma Phi Epsilon to remove the offensive section from their fliers.
"I did them a favor. I didn't go to the school, didn't call a school judiciary meeting on them - which we definitely had the right to do," he said.
None of USU's Greek houses permit drugs, although some are "wet," meaning they permit the use of alcohol. Sigma Phi Epsilon wanted to be distinguished as one that does not permit any alcohol consumption.
Russell said Sigma Phi Epsilon encourages its members to become sound in mind and body. He said it goes back to an ancient Greek philosophy that those who are balanced in those two areas have more harmonious lives. They call it the "Balanced Man" program. Part of becoming sound in body in the Balanced Man program is not using drugs or alcohol. Because of this philosophy, Sigma Phi Epsilon is completely dry.
Gordon said he was mostly concerned about the success of the fraternity without the support of the rest of the Greek community. Sigma Phi Epsilon is not yet a fully chartered fraternity. With 50 active members, Russell said they are still a colony and don't have a high enough membership to support a frat house yet.
"I would hope they would [come back] for the frat's sake," Gordon said. "They're in a shaky position not being chartered. They're basically a club."
Gordon said in order to get chartered, Sigma Phi Epsilon would have to be recognized by USU and by the Greek Council. However, Russell said he has found a way around the red tape.
"We would never leave [the Greek Council] if we couldn't charter," he said.
Instead of being governed by the council, Sigma Phi Epsilon decided to work with the Council of Student Clubs and Organizations. Russell said he turned the fraternity's constitution in to the CSCO president and it was approved.
"So, we are still recognized by the university," he said.
Gordon said the fraternity is always welcome back on the council.
"I think a lot of this would be solved with communication from their side," he said. "We wish them the best of luck."

booze
 

Until which time the GLOs decide to remove booze from the house
and get their act together, we will continue to play musical chairs
on campuses and have a bad rep.
In days of yore we did NOT have booze in the house and NO girls
above the first floor. I can assure you we got drunk and laid but in a different manor, call it hypocritical or discreet or whatever.
The booze MUST go from the house. You are destroying the entire image, idea, ideals and system with ANYTHING less. We were proud of our clean house and we did not have a shitcan of booze containers on the floor. Take heed. Behave or be gone.
I am not a mormon and have not been in a church in 45 years. I
am not preaching. But the booze MUST GO. You guys will lose it
all if you don't, so stop sniveling and grow up. Erik P Conard

Sig Ep is a good outfit
 

Sigma Phi Epsilon is one the the largest and one of the finest
fraternities in the entire system.
Their "Balanced Man" program seems to work considerably well.
It might behoove the rest of us to consider it.
We need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.
Sig Ep is trying to get in step with the times; power to 'em,
from an old rival, an old TKE, and here's a salute to Sig Ep!

I can understand why the group would not be chartered for several different reasons, but the article states they are still a colony because of low membership. Their membership is at 50 guys and from my experience with SPE colonization, 50 guys is above and beyond what is usually acceptable for them to charter a chapter at a school. I have seen 10 guys have been enough at some schools. Maybe the writer had it wrong, but 50 guys is a whole hell of a lot of guys.

I'm sorry but the Sig Ep president sounds like a total a-hole.

If you want to be "different" you do it by your deeds, not by saying things like "we want to disassociate from other frats" and acting like you're above them because you decide to be alcohol free. It isn't a better choice or worse choice, it's simply a choice. (Plus this is the first I've ever heard that Sig Ep is "completely dry" - they make it sound like they don't just not drink in the house, they don't drink anywhere. Which I HIGHLY doubt.)

You can be alcohol free, fine, whatever, but lording it over everyone and basically calling them drunks and druggies won't win you any popularity contests among the other fraternities OR the rest of the campus.

And Erik, I don't think the problem is that alcohol is in the house, I think the problem is responsibility. I've seen filthy houses that are alcohol free and spotless houses where there were insane parties the night before. That's not just Greeks, that is people, period.

Several inconsistencies here among the reasoning:

1) Sig Ep is not "dry" nationally. Neither does the Balanced Man program.
2) Judging from the story, this colony does not have a house, so it's easy to be the "dry" option.
3) The chapter hasn't been in contact with the University or the Greek adviser this semester? On most campuses, that alone could lead to loss of recognition from the University.

It sounds to me this colony doesn't want to play by the same rules as are required of everyone else.

It says they don't have a high enough membership to support a house - maybe SPE makes their colonies get to the average size of the other fraternities on campus before they will let them charter? That sounds almost Panhellenic. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

when the smoke clears....
 

Utah Alpha of Sig Ep, chartered 1936, has over a thousand initiates and is hardly a "colony.'
I went to summer school in Logan in '61 and noted how the school marched to a different drummer, quite mormon. Us gentiles perhaps better step aside and let the Sig Eps, the IFC,
and Utah State duke this one out. Not even SAE with the well hung Noble Leslie DeVotie could not survive in Logan.
Did not mean to jump in with both feet, but until the drinking laws
change, the booze needs to take a back seat.
Sig Ep's still a good club and perhaps it will eventually iron out. It
seems like there's a can of worms almost every where. Come out
to Boulder, see us fruitcakes, if you want to beat your head on the side of the wall. Then compare us with the eastern folks and
the isolationist southerners. Then there's Berkeley, Eugene, Ann
Arbor, Amherst...gosh, just think of all the schools who have no
GLOs at all and who pose nekkid in their yearbooks...goll ee ee!
And these are fully accredited institutions. Higher education....
Think I'll go eat worms.

Re: SPE Utah State leaves IFC
 

While I'm not familiar with the campus, my take on the above quote is the chapter needs more members before the chapter can rent, purchase or build a *physical* chapter house.

And if Utah Alpha of Sigma Phi Epsilon was chartered in 1936, then perhaps this is a recolonization at Utah State.

recolonization
 

You are likely right, this is probably a recolonization. The Logan
community is heavily LDS and Utah State University, in '61, was
the ONLY state u in America who did not allow smoking in the student union! I lived in Moen Hall that summer and kept beer
hidden in the fridge! No it is no longer a secret.
Most there were angel-garment-wearing returned missionaries
and none were greek.
Hope there can be ameliorization here....

I was always the most suspicious of the chapters on campus that had to put other groups down to promote themselves. That was always the most pathertic form of marketing. That was the cardinal sin at my campus. You didnt talk shit about other groups. You got caught, you got in big trouble.

If you are going to spin the story as 'We left because we didnt agree with the other groups" then make damn sure your story is spotless. You look liek fools if it comes out late that you were really asked to leave and its a he saqid/she said issue.

Those kids (in the Sig Ep Chapter at Utah) better hope that the campus doesnt require that they be full members of the IFC to charter.

Response to Sig Eps
 

This was just one of the articles written in the same campus newspaper following the Sig Ep article.

‘Sorority girl’ label a keep
Greek fraternities and sororities are more than the stereotype of Greek life. You would think because Sigma Phi Epsilon claims to be a fraternity, they wouldn't encourage the stereotype that movies like "Animal House," "Legally Blonde," and MTV's "Sorority Life" depict. Not everyone drinks and no one is forced to change their ways. We encourage diversity and stand for higher values. All Greeks strive to become better men and women by becoming involved on campus, performing community service, building lifelong friendships and holding leadership positions in addition to our student schedules. Greek life ensures experiencing all aspects of college life by becoming active members in our own chapters, our campus, and our community.

USU's Greek history began in the early 1900's and most have been around since the early 1920's. The ten Greek organizations at USU have all successfully stayed on campus since our beginnings. We are a part of campus life and always have been. We are all branches of our larger national organizations which span over almost every college campus across the nation.

Greek life provides a successful leadership development program for college students. It should be noted that all but eight U.S. Presidents have been Greek since the first Greek organization was established in 1825. In addition, since 1910, 40 of 47 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, 85% of the Fortune 500 executives, and 76% of all Congressmen and Senators have been Greeks.

So far this year our Greek community has contributed in many ways to our campus as well as our community. Sigma Nu held a benefit concert for the Agriculture Technology Family support fund. Chi Omega held a Halloween carnival for the kids in Cache Valley and raised almost 800 lbs of food. Alpha Chi Omega held dollar days on campus and raised money for Victims of Domestic Violence. Kappa Delta has mentored local Girl Scouts and done community service by raking leaves and visiting Sunshine Terrace. Some Sigma Chi members taught in the One in Four Program, which is an all male group whose mission is to end sexual violence against women. Pi Kappa Alpha held bowling night for Habitat for Humanity. Each chapter has their own philanthropy and community service projects and through Greek Council we support each other in our different events.

Sigma Phi Epsilon lost their charter at USU in 1997. Last year they began reestablishing themselves, but in my opinion, slandering other houses isn't the way to do it. But sure, go ahead and call yourself a club. Disassociate yourselves as much as you want, because as crazy as some people may think it is, it is a privilege to be Greek. Having the support, the lifelong friendships, the networking possibilities, the leadership opportunities are just some of the reasons why I don't mind being classified as a "sorority girl."

'Sorority girl' label a keep

Am I missing something? I have no idea what you are referring to.

your sources
 

I think you oughta check your sources...more than eight presidents were non-Greeks. Ike, Carter, Clinton, Hoover, Lincoln, Grant, Fillmore, Buchanan, Nixon were NOT Greeks and
Harry never even went to college...this is from memory.
Now you can include honoraries and professionals and their like,
but we generally think of Greek as social ones...
The Congressman figures are likely spurious, and frequently we
pound our chests about our clout. But we over exaggerate a lot,
and like we claim so many masons were presidents. Not so.
While we are proud of our fraternal affiliations, let us not overdo
it. Check your sources, do. Fraternally, Erik P Conard

The statistic is all good, but how do they pertain to your campus? How many of those congressmen, senators, President came from your campus? Have any of those you cited ever contributed to your local greek life?

Re: your sources
 

Truman was greek. He was a Lambda Chi. He was initiated as a sitting president. LXA offers 'honorary initiations' on occasion. One of his personal advisors was a Lambda Chi, and after discussing it, he asked if he coudl be intiated. Some calls were made and he was actually initiated on the presidential train.

This thread

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...threadid=72177

ETA newspaper linky link

http://media.www.utahstatesman.com/m...epublisher.com

Ahhh, thanks 33... With no citation by the poster, I had no clue where the thread was coming from. That clears it up.

Re: your sources
 

I agree, Erik. It does nothing to bolster the credibility of a defense if the facts are exaggerated. There were more than 8 non-Greek presidents after 1825 in the 19th Century alone -- none of the 13 presidents serving from 1825 to 1877 were Greek.

For the record, the following is from Center for the Study of the College Fraternity in Bloomington, Indiana:

The North-American Interfraternity Conference has also compiled a list of U.S. Presidents who were/are fraternity members. Contrary to the statistic quoted above, no president prior to 1877 was a fraternity member and seven presidents since then have not been fraternity men. Presidents who were fraternity members are:

President/Years in Office/Fraternity
Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881 Delta Kappa Epsilon
James Garfield 1881 Delta Upsilon
Chester Arthur 1881-1885 Psi Upsilon
Benjamin Harrison 1989-1893 Phi Delta Theta
William McKinley 1897-1901 Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 Delta Kappa Epsilon/Alpha Delta Phi
William Howard Taft 1909-1913 Psi Upsilon
Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 Phi Kappa Psi
Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929 Phi Gamma Delta
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945 Alpha Delta Phi
Harry S. Truman 1945-1953 Lambda Chi Alpha
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961 Tau Epsilon Phi
John F. Kennedy 1961-1963 Phi Kappa Theta
Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977 Delta Kappa Epsilon
Ronald Reagan 1981-1989 Tau Kappa Epsilon
George H. W. Bush 1989-1993 Delta Kappa Epsilon
George W. Bush 2001- Delta Kappa Epsilon

Even if Warren G. Harding and Jimmy Carter (for Phi Alpha Delta) and Bill Clinton (for Alpha Phi Omega) are added, that is only 20 out of 42 presidents -- not even half. (Yes, I know the current President is #43, but Grover Cleveland was both #22 and #24, so only 42 people have been president.) Even if Sinfonian Thomas Dewey had beaten Truman, the percentage wouldn't have gotten higher. ;)

Benjamin Harrison was also a Delta Chi, from back when DX was a professional law fraternity allowing dual memberships.
Also, James K. Polk was in the Kappa Alpha Society, Ulysses S. Grant was a Delta Phi, and Grover Cleveland was a Sigma Chi.
The above is from the Delta Chi "Cornerstone," a fairly accurate source.

James K. Polk graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1818, seven years before the current Kappa Alpha Society was founded at Union College in 1825. There was a group called Kappa Alpha that was founded by some Phi Beta Kappa members at UNC in 1812. It eventually had around 20 chapters, but it did not survive the Civil War. It was not a fraternity as we would understand it (Kappa Alpha Society is considered the first general fraternity in the modern sense), but was more like early Phi Beta Kappa or a literary society. We must assume that, if Polk was a member of an organization called Kappa Alpha, it was the one founded at UNC six years prior to his graduation (which certainly makes sense), and not Kappa Alpha Society. That would probably be why the NIC has not included him on their list of Greek presidents.

Ulysses S. Grant went to West Point, which, according to the Delta Phi website, has never had a Delta Phi chapter. (So far as I know, West Point has never had any fraternity chapters.) He graduated in 1843, when Delta Chi had only three chapters -- Union, Brown and New York University. I know that Grant's membership in Delta Phi has been reported in other sources, but unless he was an honorary initiate later on, it doesn't seem possible.

As best I can tell, Grover Cleveland didn't go to college due to the untimely death of his father. Cleveland became a lawyer in the days when one could "read law" under a judge rather than attending college/law school. He appears to have been made an "honorary" member of Sigma Chi at some point later in life, which may be why the NIC did not put him on their list.

Benjamin Harrison went to Miami of Ohio, where he joined Phi Delta Theta. He graduated in 1852, about 38 years before Delta Chi was founded. He apparently was initiated later in life. Not that that should necessarily disqualify him (or G. Cleveland perhaps) from the list -- as noted by lifesaver, Truman was initiated into Lambda Chi while president. I guess they just figured he was already on the list, but you're quite right about the dual membership situation.

MysticCat81,
outstanding investigative work!

There could very possibly have been clubs of sorts that were started but died before during or after the Civil War.


A President may have very well be Initiated as an Honorary as Harry Truman was, but, He did take LXA to His Heart.

When I knew Him, I am sure He was not a LXA then. After His Presidency, I was not a LXA and did not make the connection untill some time later.

I did not mean to imply....
 

that Harry did not take pride in his Lambda Chi membership, and
from what I hear he did...and he was Grand Master of the MO masons, and might have been what you call an "organization man" But he never ever went to college...a well-known fact.
nor did I intend to take lightly the status or feeling of the honorary ones...Lawrence Welk, TKE, would play the TKE sweet heart song at least once a year on the radio. And a goodly number of TKE initiates wore the letters, like Willie Nelson, Elvis.
BUT, guys, isn't this pushing the envelope a bit? Theoretically as
I am a member of Sigma Delta Pi, Spanish honorary which demands a 3.5, then I am a "greek." But really, we are talking out of both sides of our mouth. JFK was not a greek at all in the
sense we cherish, and Ike could not pass the physical for TEP membership at the time, and hardly went to a greek campus. His
brother Milton was an active SAE, though.
The fact that I belonged to AERho, radio fraternity or APhiO the boy scout one did not put me on the list of a Greek AT THAT TIME,
so let's get real. We are stretching the point, and it is a point we
need not stretch. Let's keep credibility in the formula, huh?

Re: Re: your sources
 

Or if Kappa Sig Bob Dole beat Clinton...

Re: I did not mean to imply....
 

Ike, like Grant, went to West Point. He was made an honorary initiate of Tau Epsilon Phi when he was president. Interesting that the NIC would put him on the list but not, say, Cleveland as an honorary Sigma Chi.

I think you have a very valid point. The real question is why do we cite to the number of Greek presidents as an indication of the Greek system's worth? I would submit it is to show that the Greek system produces leaders. If that is indeed the reason, then only those who were Greek in their formative years (i.e., college) would seem to be worth citing. Honorary initiation after one has already demonstrated leadership skills may show an affinity or appreciation for the Greek system, but it doesn't show that the Greek system produces leaders.

My $0.02

Re: Re: Re: your sources
 

Indeed. There are probably others as well.