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Chi Psi fraternity not first at CU to shut its doors

National chapters make the call; some return, some don't

By Elizabeth Mattern Clark, Camera Staff Writer
October 10, 2004

The mansion's doors were propped wide open. The scent of cleaning products wafted from inside, where a dozen or so clean-cut young men chatted, played pool — and scrubbed floors.

It was Friday afternoon at Sigma Phi Epsilon's Boulder house.

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Like the Chi Psi chapter last week, the Sigma Phi Epsilon house was shut down after an alcohol-related death. That was 10 years ago.

At least six fraternity houses have been shuttered in Boulder in the past 15 years.

Some have never come back, their houses rented or sold to other Greek groups. Other fraternities — including Chi Psi — are waiting until the members who lived in the troubled houses graduate, hoping to start fresh with a new set of men.

Sigma Phi Epsilon has come back and reinvented itself, saying it's determined to fight a "frat boy" stereotype of heavy drinkers, hazing and "Animal House" parties.

The house was shut down in 1994 after 18-year-old Amanda MacDonald was crushed to death in a "car-surfing" crash. Both MacDonald, a University of Colorado freshman, and the driver had been drinking at a Sigma Phi Epsilon party before the crash.

Taylor Wetzbarger, a CU senior who helped re-establish the chapter in 2001, said his goal is to "break away completely" from the MacDonald tragedy and "never have an alcohol-related tragedy again."

Chapter members say they don't drink in the house's common areas. Leaders recruit well-rounded athletes and students based on their high school records, placing less importance on the freshman "rush," a recruitment period that can get out of control.

The house's 57 members have a grade-point average of 3.12, volunteer their labor in the community and organize events such as last month's "Rock Against Rape" concert, said chapter president Lance Powers.

The fraternity arranges tutors for anyone whose GPA falls beneath a 2.5, and the students follow strict workout schedules — even taking pictures at the beginning and end of the year to determine whose body among them is the "most improved."

"I didn't want to do the stereotypical frat thing," Wetzbarger said. "Sig Ep is trying to destroy that image. ... What we have is a bunch of guys who hold each other accountable."

Chi Psi house

Chi Psi is asking residents of the $1.2 million, 40-bedroom Boulder house — built in 1920 and owned by a local alumni group — to move out by the end of the semester following the alcohol-poisoning death last month of pledge Lynn Gordon "Gordie" Bailey Jr.

The students can no longer hold Chi Psi events and are now considered chapter alumni.

Bailey, a CU freshman, died after he and 26 other pledges were taken to the mountains west of Boulder and given whiskey and wine. Sam Bessey, national Chi Psi executive director, called the incident hazing.

After current members graduate, a new group of students could petition the fraternity to re-establish the chapter, or local alumni could gather students they want to carry on the Chi Psi tradition.

But the fraternity might never come back to University Hill, Bessey said. Chi Psi national leaders say Boulder's Greek system is particularly steeped in alcohol.

"We have no plans to go back at this point," Bessey said. "I think there are changes that have to be made within the entire Greek community there for us to consider coming back. The Chi Psi national fraternity is committed to partnering with CU to address those concerns over time."

Other fraternities

Delta Tau Delta's Boulder house was shut down in 1989 after a pledge drank near-lethal amounts of alcohol during a hazing ritual. CU bought the historic house in 1996, and it now houses the continuing education department.

The fraternity hasn't come back since.

Neither has Sigma Chi, which shut down in 1999 after repeated alcohol violations and failures to pay fees and dues to its headquarters. Its house is now occupied by another fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi.

"We have an expansion team that evaluates campuses continually to see if that campus is going to be a model campus for one of our new chapters," said Jory Taylor, director of chapter development for Sigma Chi's central office. "Part of that is to ensure we're finding the right young men and the right environment so that it's going to be a healthy and successful chapter."

The year 2002 was a particularly rough one for University Hill fraternities. Three houses — Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Sigma and Phi Delta Theta — had their charters revoked by their national organizations that year. None has yet re-established in Boulder, and all of their houses are now occupied by other Greek groups.

Alpha Tau Omega shut down its house because it was so poorly maintained it was declared uninhabitable, and because members were delinquent in paying dues.

Kappa Sigma folded because of alcohol and hazing violations. And Phi Delta Theta closed because fraternity brothers took a group of inductees into the mountains and left them with a keg of beer; a pledge was injured in a rollover accident on the way back.

Phi Delta Theta might re-establish in Boulder but has no plans to do so anytime soon, said Bob Biggs, the fraternity's executive vice president.

He said he's concerned about the number of liquor establishments near the CU campus and "that environment would be a factor in our decision about reopening."

But, Biggs said, "You have to look at all the factors. It's an old chapter, 100 years old, you've probably got a million-dollar piece of real estate and dedicated alumni who would like for us to return. ... We'd just have to get the right group of students who believe in friendship, academic excellence, community service and not allowing the misuse of alcohol and hazing."