Wake Forest Chi Omegas Relinquish their charter
 

Here is a member's perspective:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/dancindeac

I just read that whole post and I feel so sorry for those poor girls. :( How sad.

:(

It is sad. One of my high school friends is a sophomore Chi Omega there. She really enjoyed it. They were definately one of the top chapters on campus.

Statement Concerning Charter Surrender
By Zeta Lambda Chapter of Chi Omega
Ken Zick, vice president for student life and instructional resources
9/5/03

he University administration was informed today by the president of the Zeta Lambda Chapter of Chi Omega that the group has surrendered its charter to the Chi Omega national office. This action was taken by the local chapter after a visit by five national representatives this week. During the week, the team of national officers and staff members had met individually with chapter members and advisors. The national team met with the group on Wednesday evening to inform the Chapter of the decision to place the group on social probation.

National representatives met with administrators on Thursday to share the results of their inquiry. The inquiry arose from a report to Chi Omega national at the end of the spring semester regarding an alleged violation of the national’s Policy on Human Dignity and Hazing. The national organization has a responsibility to investigate such reports. The University was not aware of such a report and was not notified of this week’s campus visit until August 27th.

Administrators met on Friday with Chi Omega national representatives and the former president of the Zeta Lambda chapter to explore possible alternatives to this situation. This discussion did not result in a change of outcome. We lament the decision of the local chapter to surrender their charter. The Chi Omega chapter at Wake Forest has a strong history of solid academic performance and community service. The sisterhood has produced many campus leaders, in all areas.

University staff members will meet with former members of the Zeta Lambda chapter early next week to answer questions arising from the closing of the Chapter. The University understands that this is a difficult time in the history of this group and seeks to provide assistance with transitional issues

I got about a sixth of the way through that post before I got so uncomfortable with what I was reading I stopped.

I felt that what the poster wrote was inappropriate for a sister of Chi Omega. I'm not saying she's a bad sister; I'm saying, from what she wrote initially, her alliances clearly lie with Fideles and with her *chapter* sisters.

Her frankness and descriptions of quasi-ritual events and clear disrespect for Chi Omega nationals made me feel like it was disrespectful for me to keep reading the post.

Wouldn't these girls be considered Chi Omega alumnae? Normally, when a group loses their charter, the members go alum.

This really broke my heart. :-( I hate the fact that the consultants seemed to take pleasure in the whole ordeal. I've dealt with people like that -- THEY SUCK!

I don't know - to me, I think she had a loyalty to Chi Omega, but also wanted to continue the traditions from Fideles.

Her descriptions really rang true to me - my chapter was local for 102 years before we chartered with Gamma Phi Beta, and aside from a few dates, we've lost all contact with Nulli Secundas/the Athenaeum Society. It seems like these girls had done a good job blending the two groups.

I agree, but I also think there's a certain amount of Chi O bashing going on, which is certainly not cool.

Sounds like they did do a good job blending the two, but it also sounds like they were basically trying to be members of Fideles AND Chi O at the same time (reference her comment on "Wake decided that.... for insurance purposes...." NOT, "going panhellenic was a great idea, because X, Y, and Z.")

Isn't that like trying to be an ADPi and an AOPi? Both great groups, and I'm not saying a woman can't divide her sympathies -- but, there's a REASON we have rules against that.

This is tough. On one hand, this woman seems to have some amount of sorrow that they lost their Chi-O charter. On the other, she freely admits to breaking the National rules and the law. And says she would continue to do it. And if Nationals doesn't like it, tough luck. It's the way it's always been. It's that attitude that flies in the face of this woman's pleading.

If the consultants really were smug and smirking, it's a sad commentary -- but we're hearing those descriptions from a young woman who certainly has an ax to grind, it would seem, with the sorority. We weren't there and don't know the whole truth.

Clearly, it would seem that the university felt good about the chapter. Is that because the chapter really was that good (while admitting to breaking the law, etc.), or was the school asleep at the switch here.

As regards parents being legally responsible, that is probably true whether the women signed any paper at all. There was a thread on this topic here on GC recently. Parents have been held responsible for their children's actions -- as have chapter advisors, house corporation members and national officers for the misdeeds of undergraduate members.

There must have been a reason for this "investigation" to have been staged. Can a national organization allow a "rogue" chapter to make it's own rules and live by it's own decisions if they are in direct opposition to what the other chapters are expected to do?

I have a huge amount of respect for Chi Omega nationally, and it will take more than the writings of one member who has openly admitted that she broke the rules to change that -- no matter how badly she feels she has been personally wronged.

If someone can offer proof that these women were somehow treated shabbily, I'll be happy to change my mind. But the evidence would have to be pretty convincing.

I do see your point, but I think it's a little different than that. I know I'm biased because my chapter has such a strong local history. I think these girls did go national because Wake made them, not out of their own volition - so that's something different from my chapter.

I do see the Chi O bashing also, I just hate to see a chapter closed for something that doesn't appear to be, in my opinion, a good reason.

This is so sad :(

I disagree. I think there was enough in this woman's story to figure out that there were huge problems with this group.

Those girls were no more Chi Omegas than I am. If they weren't willing to incoporate the ideals, ritual, and policies, they never should have petioned to join them.....they only did it because the university made them. They may have had great sisterhood between them but they weren't willing to become part of a much larger sisterhood. They obviously didn't care enough about Chi Omega to do the work to retain their charter.

I have had first hand experience with the chapter of my GLO that I advise for in a situation where it was on probation. The university also had no clue what had occurred internally to warrant a visit from national officers. But there was just cause and several women's memberships were taken. The remainder of the chapter had specific things they had to accomplish before it was decided whether or not the chapter would keep their charter. The women worked together and even though it took a year to get back in good standing, they did it because they valued their membership and wanted o keep their chapter on campus.

While it's a shame that Chi Omega is no longer at Wake Forest, it doesn't sound to me that they were really there to begin with.

That just made me cry :( It's so sad, and I know I would have been really sad if that happened to my chapter or even another chapter here on campus.

I really feel like the 'probation' terms were *extremely* harsh on the chapter and that is most likely why they walked away.

Someone mentioned earlier that they felt the poster was 'inappropriate' for Chi Omega, but I don't really see how that is. While the poster plainly admitted to breaking some rules on alcohol and what not, I don't see how that is any different than coming on GC and writing in the Chit Chat forum stuff like "OHMYGOSH WE GOT SO DRUNK LAST NIGHT!" or whatever and having your letters in the signature (like many people do). While there probably are chapters out there (whether they are national, local or non-social GLO's) that follow every single rule and guideline to the 'T', realisitically speaking, I can almost promise that there are probably even more chapters out there who don't follow every single rule and guideline to the 'T'. I'm not saying it's OK, but that's something we should all work on. We shouldn't "crucify" this poster because she admitted her chapter did some things that were wrong, because I'm almost certain every chapter has at least one person who doesn't follow every single rule.

... however, that is just my .02 on that issue.

My heart really goes out to those girls. To me it sounded like no matter how much they loved the Fideles, they also loved Chi Omega very much, and I felt like their punishment was a little unjust. (of course I'm just basing that on what I've read about it)

doubleblue&gold mentioned "they obviously didn't care enough about Chi Omega to do the work to retain their charter"

umm.. did you SEE the list of stuff they had to do?

that puts a *tremendous* amount of pressure on everyone.. attendance, and especially putting the liability of the entire chapter on the exec board's family. all other probation terms aside, this iteself is A LOT, and a little bit scary.