Quote:
Originally Posted by SigChiFS
Hey everyone,
I pledged and initiated into Sigma Chi Fall 2012 and, I'll be straight honest here, I basically just disappeared from the fraternity a couple months after initiation. There were some factors that led me doing so; mostly involving the death of a freshman pledge at another fraternity house on campus, our fraternity being put on sanction for alcohol poisoning of a freshman girl, and a lot of pressure from my ROTC Detachment to not affiliate myself with the Greek community after said incidents.
Anyways, it's been a year now and I have absolutely no contact with my fraternity anymore (other than brief and awkward hello's when I run into them around campus) and needless to say it's been gnawing at the back of my mind ever since I left; I feel terribly guilty that I abandoned my brothers and feel like I lost a great experience that I left to wither and die.
I'm starting my last year of college now and I'll soon be commissioning as an officer in the military, but I feel like I'll always have this regret for the rest of my life if I don't take care of it now. I want to make it up to my brothers and get involved back with the fraternity while I still have this last chance, but I'm afraid they still hate me and won't accept me back. If it means anything, I actually called the national Sigma Chi headquarters and found out that my chapter put me as an alumni.
Any advice for my situation is appreciated...
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So, let's address the first issue: As your pledge book and your magister told you, our nickname is not Sig Chi. We are Sigs or Sigma Chis. Not Sig Chi or Sig Chis.
If you really want to come back, you need to contact the chapter president (or counsul if you've forgotten the term). Talk to him, tell him the issues that made you decide to stop being active. Let him and the other officers decide if you should be allowed back as an active. They are going to have to be convinced that you are going to be an active brother; one who shows up for meetings and activities- not just showing up for parties and wanting to add something to your resume.
You don't know if they hate you. Whenever we had guys quit without giving us a reason why, we were confused and questioning; but we didn't hate the guy. The brothers who were active at the time have no idea why you gave up on them- and that's exactly what you did, gave up on them.
As others said, you were put on alumni status so that the chapter would not have to pay HQ dues and insurance on you. If they hadn't, you would owe the chapter 1 and 1/2 years of back dues. When you speak to the consul, if he brings it up, you should be thankful and appreciative of that fact.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes. In hoc.