Theta Chi Alumni Suspend 5 -- U. Of Kansas

[exlurker]

Alumni concerns about property damage to the house, and about grades, apparently prompted the membership review. Excerpts from longer article in the school paper:

After almost a month of waiting, five members of Theta Chi fraternity . . . found out they were officially suspended from the organization. E-mails were sent May 29, following a membership review that took place at the end of the spring semester. The review was conducted by the alumni Corporation Board of the Deta Psi chapter of Theta Chi.

. . . Theta Chi fraternity recently underwent a membership review because some alumni saw "unfavorable trends" and wanted to take action before it turned into a bigger problem.
Some of the members were invited back, but are on academic probation.

Ryan Gerstner, president of the Corporation Board, said that the alumni had seen some unfavorable trends and that the Board was taking preemptive actions before it turned into a real problem. About 45 of the 68 members went through the review process, Gerstner said. Those who didn’t were either graduating seniors or men who decided not to return next year.

“I’m personally excited about it,” Gerstner said. “It gives the guys a clean slate. It gets them refocused on goals and being achievers. That’s what Greek life is all about.”

However, not everyone is as enthusiastic . . . . [name removed], Indianapolis, Ind. junior, was one of the men not invited back to Theta Chi. He said he thinks it’s unfair that the alumni can pick and choose who is in and who is out. . . .
The membership review process consisted of two main components; a written questionnaire about grades and their leadership in the fraternity and an interview with a small group of alumni. In the interview, the men discussed what mistakes they might have made regarding property damage to the house and how they planned to better the fraternity next year.

The decision to conduct the review was made completely by the Corporation Board, without any input from either the national organization or the University. . . .

The article indicates that there is an appeals process available.

See entire article at:

http://www.kansan.com/stories/2006/j...ity_suspended/

[33girl]

Umm, I can understand the alumni being able to kick people out of the house or something if they have a housing corp, but to be able to suspend their membership? I call BS on this one. I'm sure my sisters would have been happy if I'd come back for a visit and said "I don't like so and so, she's gone."

[LaneSig]

33girl -

You may think it is "bs", but many fraternities will have alumns step in and do membership reviews if their headquarters/national/ chapter advisors feel that there are problems and issues that are effecting the chapter. I was involved with a membership review of my own chapter 5 years after I graduated. I was one of 6 alumns who interviewed each member about their attitudes and goals for the chapter. The alumni stepped in due to problems that were growing and threatened to destroy the chapter. If the alumns step in for a review it is usually a pre-emptive strike to ensure that the chapter does not lose its charter. It also scares the hell out of the undergrads. It helps them to refocus on the goals of the chapter, the beliefs involved in our rituals and creeds, etc. I know that later in the year, 2 different members who were put on probation status for a semester to straighten up, thanked me personally for helping them get on the right track. I will also tell you that we kicked 2 other members out (although we did not go full out and revoked their membership with headquarters). It was an easy/not easy decision. Not easy because I hated seeing 2 brothers banished from chapter membership. Easy because both made it clear that they would not change their ways nor were they taking aspects of the fraternity as seriously as they should have.

[AXiDTrish]

It says the Corp Board did this without the input of the National Organization. Is that typical? Wouldn't the National Org be aware of it? Couldn't this practice backfire if some guy got really upset and the National Org was clueless about it? Are there parameters?

[SmartBlondeGPhB]

Originally posted by LaneSig
33girl -

You may think it is "bs", but many fraternities will have alumns step in and do membership reviews if their headquarters/national/ chapter advisors feel that there are problems and issues that are effecting the chapter. I was involved with a membership review of my own chapter 5 years after I graduated. I was one of 6 alumns who interviewed each member about their attitudes and goals for the chapter. The alumni stepped in due to problems that were growing and threatened to destroy the chapter. If the alumns step in for a review it is usually a pre-emptive strike to ensure that the chapter does not lose its charter. It also scares the hell out of the undergrads. It helps them to refocus on the goals of the chapter, the beliefs involved in our rituals and creeds, etc. I know that later in the year, 2 different members who were put on probation status for a semester to straighten up, thanked me personally for helping them get on the right track. I will also tell you that we kicked 2 other members out (although we did not go full out and revoked their membership with headquarters). It was an easy/not easy decision. Not easy because I hated seeing 2 brothers banished from chapter membership. Easy because both made it clear that they would not change their ways nor were they taking aspects of the fraternity as seriously as they should have.

If it's initiated by the headquarters then I don't see a problem. However, this seems like it wasn't initated by them but by a few alums who thought things were bad. That is a BAD precedent.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by AXiDTrish
It says the Corp Board did this without the input of the National Organization. Is that typical? Wouldn't the National Org be aware of it? Couldn't this practice backfire if some guy got really upset and the National Org was clueless about it? Are there parameters?

Originally posted by SmartBlondeGPhB
If it's initiated by the headquarters then I don't see a problem. However, this seems like it wasn't initated by them but by a few alums who thought things were bad. That is a BAD precedent.

"Dave Westol, chief executive officer of Theta Chi fraternity, said that he was contacted by a member of the Corporation Board who was concerned about the fraternity and wanted to know how to conduct the review. Westol said he was supportive of the decision because it showed that the Board was taking responsibility for its house with the appropriate actions."

and...

"There is an appeal process for those members not invited back to the house. All appeals are to be no more than two pages long, typed and turned in by June 19 to Gerstner [Ryan Gerstner, president of the Corporation Board]. It must also be accompanied by two letters of recommendation. Notifications of the Board’s decisions are expected to be sent out July 19."

[TSteven]

Originally posted by LaneSig
If the alumns step in for a review it is usually a pre-emptive strike to ensure that the chapter does not lose its charter.

Word!

[Drolefille]

I think this is just one of the differences between fraternities and sororities that we haven't seen much of yet.

No, we wouldn't want our (inter)national headquarters or our alumnae to sanction this, but things work differently in the fraternity world.


/Fraternity world is a magical place. Full of bottomless beers and refilling pizza boxes

[33girl]

I'm not saying that the alumni shouldn't have input and shouldn't be able to say "you guys are acting like asshats and you need to knock it off" or something of the like. Or kick them out of the house.

But to completely kick someone out, basically overriding the national? What if these guys appeal to the national instead? Plus, it says the interviews were conducted by a small group of alumni. Re the property damage issue, I searched the paper and there's nothing reported. So I'm guessing it was the general day to day of college age men living in a house and like I said before, that's a HOUSING issue, not a membership issue. The house is not the chapter, and vice versa.

Plus if there was something concrete...well...guys usually just say that. They're not as duplicitous as us ovary bearers. I'm sorry, but it sounds to me like the alumni don't like the way things were going personally and they wanted to have things the way they wanted them.

[DeltAlum]

The final straw, as I understand it, at our former chapter at the University of Colorado was damage was extensive damage to a house that had just been refurbished to the tune of $1.5 million donated by local alums.

I believe (I was not involved at all) that the local alumni group went to the Central Office.

Much of the damage allegedly was due to alcohol and drug abuse within the chapter.

In that case, it becomes a lot more than a "housing issue."

I suppose it's possible that some of the same dynamics may have been in play in the case of this chapter -- although we don't know that.

[33girl]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
I believe (I was not involved at all) that the local alumni group went to the Central Office.

Therein lies the difference. The alumni didn't make the final decisions, your CO did.

[TSteven]

Originally posted by Drolefille
Fraternity world is a magical place. Full of bottomless beers and refilling pizza boxes

If only this were true!

[TSteven]

Good questions 33girl.

But to completely kick someone out, basically overriding the national? What if these guys appeal to the national instead?

First off, the five men were not kicked out of Theta Chi. They were suspended and will have alumni status upon graduation. I would guess that HQ not only knows, but had final approval of the suspension.

What if these guys appeal to the national instead?

The article did not go into detail about the appeal process, but my guess is that after the Corporation Board (alumni) review an appeal, it is forwarded to HQ with their (the Board's) recommendations. The final decision coming from HQ.

Plus, it says the interviews were conducted by a small group of alumni.

I would guess this may be an appropriate Theta Chi channel and that the "small group of alumni" are most likely acting on behalf of HQ. I would venture to say this is similar to many NPCs having alumni volunteers (regional directors what have you) that report back to HQ on a chapter's operations. The "official" decision may come from HQ, but the "power" behind the decision is with the alumni volunteers.

Re the property damage issue, I searched the paper and there's nothing reported. So I'm guessing it was the general day to day of college age men living in a house and like I said before, that's a HOUSING issue, not a membership issue. The house is not the chapter, and vice versa.

DeltAlum addressed this with his post. I would add that there might be something in either the chapter's by-laws or Theta Chi's by-laws that may address housing and or property that non members are not - nor should we be - privy to know. For example, there may be a by-law that says a member may be suspended for damaging Theta Chi property.

Plus if there was something concrete...well...guys usually just say that. They're not as duplicitous as us ovary bearers.

The article did list concrete reasons: grades and property damage to the house.

I'm sorry, but it sounds to me like the alumni don't like the way things were going personally and they wanted to have things the way they wanted them.

This is what most HQs (made up of alumni) do as well. If they don't like how a chapter is operating, they can pull the charter and or suspend members as well as terminate memberships. And this may be what the alumni were doing. Simply upholding the beliefs and values of their fraternity.

[Drolefille]

Originally posted by TSteven
If only this were true!

Wait... it isn't true for you?


Man are you missing out!

[Optimist Prime]

Only the undergraduate chapter can suspend brothers.

If they were suspended, and that term is being used correctly, it means that their brothers didn't want them back in their chapter. And yes, they will be considered Alumni in Good Standing of their chapter when they graduate.