Chi Phi lives thru suspension at GA Tech

[hoosier]

According to the latest letter from Chi Phi at GA Tech, the school suspended the chapter for two years last spring (02) for "hazing and alcohol violations" of school and IFC regulations.

The chapter, alumni, and natl. office (also in Atlanta) appealed the suspension unsuccessfully to the VP of student affairs, basing the appeal on

1 - punishment not fitting the crime,
2 - willingness to reform behavior.

The chapter, alumni, and natl. believe Tech has exceeded its authority and violated the members' constitutional rights, and the chapter is continuing to operate without campus or IFC recognition. The VP of SA is informed, and is treating the chapter like a group of students living in off-campus housing, although the VP of SA can almost see the Chi Phi house out his window. Chi Phi has the best/closest location to the heart of campus at Tech. Fall rush begins soon.

The alumni board has hired a lawyer, and is seeking a meeting with Tech's president.

This Hoosier salutes Chi Phi and their active efforts to assert that fraternities and fraternity members have rights.

If you want to support them, sent an email to alumni pres Jonathan Sterling at jsterldog@aol.com

If we don't defend our rights, we won't have them.

[bolingbaker]

Universities have got to get away from this extreme reaction to every offense. A fraternity being suspended from campus was rare until the late 1980s. Then, a "throw 'em off" movement took hold. The alumni base and their relationship with the university didn't matter, neither did the financial investment in housing or the large number of chapter members who were guilty of nothing more than being members. Some administrators enjoyed throwing chapters off, then indulging in sanctimoniuous posturing about it. Often, the suspensions have been without benefit of due process, and blatantly illegal.
Bad behavior should be punished. But the atmosphere that been created is one where every offense bring the death penalty. In the long run, this will be bad for both the fraternities and the universities. There are many cases where alumni are angry with the universities because of theway they have treated the students.
I support Chi Phi's fight in principle (I don't know the details of their case). All fraternities and sororities should know their organizations' rights, and act accordingly.

[MikeGT98]

Hi all,

First off, I'm a Greek at GA Tech, and have been involved with IFC in the past. I'm extremely pro-Greek, and in love with the Greek system here at Tech, which is extremely strong, so please don't think I'm just anti-Chi Phi. Tech has lost a few houses in the past couple of years (SAE, ZBT, SPE, DSPhi), and I don't want to see it lose any more in the future.

However, it's a little worrisome to hear people congratulating Chi Phi on ignoring Tech's decision to not recognize them, and continuing operating, including rushing as an IFC-sanctioned fraternity when they're not (which they are currently doing right now.)

Chi Phi has had a history of serious, illegal, life-threatening hazing, to the point where members of the chapter called the HQ about 2-3 years ago and asked for HQ to revoke the charter since the problems could not be fixed. That call came about after hazing incidents so bad that one member said that he "would rather never have Chi Phi at Tech again than watch that happen every year." Tech decided to keep recognizing them under the premise that they would do some in-house cleaning and training with their HQ to get rid of the hazing problems. 2 years later, the hazing is just as bad, if not worse, than how it used to be. Chi Phi has repeatedly ignored Tech's warnings about hazing, warnings from other Greeks, and their HQ.

Bottom line: Chi Phi probably cannot fix its internal problems on its own, and needs help. The best thing for the Greek system, and Chi Phi's Tech chapter, is to shut down and reorganize for a few years. They already have a house, and their HQ is in Atlanta, so a recolonization effort would honestly not be all that hard.

I'm very sorry to say this, and I wish it weren't like this, but Chi Phi has got to go, for it's own sake. Or are we going to wait until they kill someone before they get sanctioned?

A fraternity has every right to defend itself, but honestly people.. it's not like this was some minor incident that got them suspended unjustly. This is the last in a string of 4 or 5 years of hazing violations, and they're getting what they deserve. I wish it hadn't come to this, but I don't think every situation is fixable. Sometimes, a chapter needs to be recolonized.. I wish it wasn't like this, but the chapter is what made it come to this, so the chapter can deal with the consequences.

[dzrose93]

MikeGT98,

I just sent you a PM.

[madmax]

Do any of your school's have unrecognized glos like Chi Phi operating and how are they doing in comparison to the rest of the GLOs on campus?