Sigma chi at Mizzou: goodbye

[hoosier]

Fraternity members leave house after chapter loses charter
By DIDI TANG of the Tribune’s staff
Published Thursday, November 14, 2002

With the suspension of its charter by the parent organization, the Columbia chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity is pausing in its history of more than 100 years.

Fraternity brothers will vacate their big house at 500 S. College Ave. by the end of the semester.

The setback came just 10 days after the University of Missouri-Columbia decided not to recognize Sigma Chi as a student organization because of hazing.

An 11-member executive committee of Sigma Chi International voted Oct. 28 to suspend the chapter’s charter indefinitely, Sigma Chi International president Mark Anderson said.

"The reason is its failure to abide by our policy," Anderson said, citing in particular the Preparation for Brother Program that the Columbia chapter failed to follow. The program –– in the form of a manual –– aims to guide existing members in orienting new members to the fraternity.

Anderson refused to say whether hazing at the chapter triggered the suspension, but he noted "gentlemanly behavior" is expected from Sigma Chi members.

"It’s a very harsh, a very significant disciplinary action," Anderson said. The harshest disciplinary action would be charter revocation.

The suspension, however, does not kick fraternity members out of their house on College Avenue because the international organization, based in Evanston, Ill., does not own the house, Anderson said.

Instead, the Sigma Chi House Corp., consisting of the local chapter’s alumni, owns the house.

The corporation and students agreed together to vacate the house by the end of this semester, said house corporation member George Gale, a Sigma Chi member between 1950 and 1954.

"The university treated us very fairly," Gale said, but the decision by Sigma Chi International was surprising for "the way it was done, and the speed with which it was done."

Gale said that the house corporation might renovate the three-story house. House Director Jeff Woodard said the structure has about 55,000 square feet of space and can house up to 75 students.

Woodard also said that most of the Sigma Chi residents already have found alternate living quarters.

Gale hopes that the former fraternity members can maintain their friendship and that, eventually, the fraternity chapter can petition for reinstatement by Sigma Chi International and the university.

"The house corporation definitely wants to see it exist on the campus again," Gale said.