Suspended..what to do??
 

Recently, I got suspended from my sorority for alcohol. The police charged me with public intoxication. The police (from my university) contacted my chapter advisor and she suspended me over the phone. She basically suspended me for breaking the law...I'm 18. Right now, all I wanna do is get back in. It's eating me up inside. I don't know what to do. Is it possible to get back into a sorority through appeal (or other options) after being suspended for alcoholic reasons?

I had a good reputation in the sorority and have never gotten into trouble for anything. My record was clean.

One of my 'sisters' emailed her and she said that my actions were inexcusable.

I'm losing all hope..I don't know what to do :( please help.

You would know the inner workings of your sorority better than we would. Read your constitution and bylaws. There are usually codes or guidelines that say you need to obey local and national laws.

I've never heard of an advisor suspending someone before (in my experience, it's been national/regional board members), and I've never heard of someone being suspended over the phone.

I would definitely try to talk to the advisor and the chapter president and see if her suspending you over the phone is even allowed. I think in most chapters the chapter as a whole votes on these kinds of things. But Im not sure, your chapter might be different, but you'll never know unless you take action. Don't be surprised if your still suspended later on,underage drinking is a pretty big deal, especially if the police charged you with it. Good luck.

Depending on the sorority, Chapter Advisors can suspend a membership if it is in the best interest of the sorority. Usually, though there is an investigation and they have passed it up the food chain to get it approved. Check your national Constitution and Bylaws for the specific guidelines that apply to your group.

As far as over the phone, as a CA, I NEVER want to communicate important information, such as disciplinary issues over the phone. It can open you up to misinterpretation, you don't know who else is listening on the other side, etc. I've actually sent a certified letter (paid out of my own pocket) to a member to who refused to meet with me or even have a phone call to set up time to meet (it was a disciplinary issue obviously). The certified letter was to cover all based and I was instructed to do so by the women I report to.

My advice is to meet with your Chapter Advisor and find out the results of
her investigation. Maybe she has missing information, you never know.

Questions:

Was it only campus police who were aware of the situation? Or were local authorities involved, as well?

Was there a meeting between the advisor and any of the chapter members before you received the phone call? I would think that at the very least, there should have been a discussion amongst the advisor and chapter president, if for no other reason than to inform at least one chapter member of the disciplinary action taking place (assuming that the advisor has the authority to suspend a sister without chapter approval).

You say you were "suspended"... Indefinitely? Or were you given a specfic length of time for your punishment?

And as already mentioned, I would assume there is a procedure/paperwork to go along with the suspension of a member. Do you know if anything has been carried out as of yet?

No, I wasn't wearing any letters and it was not a chapter related event. It was the end of the semester and I wanted to unwind. I came from a party and was heading back to my dorm.

Is it a bad idea if I disclose the name of my sorority??

I can appeal, but I have my doubts. Recently, my chapter got in trouble for alcohol at an event (I didn't get in trouble). The area facilitator had to come in and give us a talk.

Yes, I definitely learned my lesson, but I know of other sisters who got got called in for the same thing yet none of them were suspended.
The lady who suspended me just became our new chapter adviser and she told me that our sorority has a zero tolerance on alcohol.

Ugh, I wanna fight it, but I doubt my National Council will reverse the suspension.

I'd also check your policies for any possible grounds for your suspension. Were you given a specific citation from the Const/bylaws about what you broke?

I know my sorority has a policy specifically related to underage drinking.

Um is it a suspension or disaffiliation? You make it sound like it's permanent, which isn't what a suspension usually means.

I got caught by the campus police and they arrested me and took me to the local adult detention center and I had to stay in a holding cell for a night. Now I have a court date :/

I think the chapter adviser talked to the area facilitator, but it was mainly the chapter adviser who made the decision.

She said that I was suspended, which meant that I was no longer a sister.

She just told me to turn in my pin. I think there are suspension forms that I have to fill out and sign, but I haven't gotten any yet.

Maybe my sorority is different. But our advisor actually has no official say in judicial/standards decisions. She simply advises.

I still don't get how suspension equates disaffiliation.

Oh...suspension basically means kicked out as in I'm no longer a sister :[

She said that I got suspended for breaking the law.

In our constitution/bylaws, it says that a collegiate member may have her membership suspended for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the fraternity considered too serious for probabtion. (I know that even though it's for drinking, it's not under the reasons for automatic suspension)

For alcohol use policies, it says that chapters are expected to abide by federal, state, and local laws and university policies...[...]

Oh, I think it's called suspension because it can be "revocable."

That kind of sounds like your answer. But like others have said you can always appeal.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to appeal, but I just don't think the National Council will reverse it..it says that the appeal may be denied only by a four-sevenths (4/7) vote of the National Council. It's just not looking too good for me...

This may sound harsh, but here's my take on what's going on and why. You didn't just get drunk, you were arrested and that's a matter of public record. Anyone on campus who knows you probably knows you're an XYZ. That looks bad for the whole chapter and for the I/natl org.

Your chapter recently got into trouble with I/natl for alcohol problems. I assume an area facilitator is an I/natl officer. In my experience when an IO comes to talk to a chapter it's a very serious situation. If your chapter wasn't placed on probation then they are at least being looked at under a microscope. It's irrelevant how other sisters with similar circumstances were treated in the past, actually that may have been part of the problem. I/natl is watching now.

As already said by others, every GLO has its own policy on how much authority an advisor has regarding disciplinary actions. As long as the appropriate procedures were followed it doesn't matter if your advisor made the decision on her own or if she is a new advisor. You stated that you believe she conferred with your area facilitator. If correct your IO knows the policies and would have made sure the advisor knew too. I suspect the IO would have also made it very clear to the advisor of any potential ramifications the chapter might face if strict adherence to zero tolerance was not shown. Part of an advisor's job is to protect the entire chapter by making the hard (and at times unpopular) decisions. This action may have saved the entire chapter from additional I/natl sanctions.

You already know you can appeal the decision. It's up to you if you want to try. If you don't appeal or if they don't find in your favor, well then you are just going to have to chalk this up to a heartbreaking life experience. There isn't much else you can do.