The Theta-Upsilon Chapter that was installed on April 1,
1967 has been closed after the Supreme Executive Committee voted unanimously on
May 8, 2016 to end the Trusteeship upon the recommendation of the Trustee,
Brother Will Lynch. Brother Lynch had
been assigned as the Chapter’s Trustee in November when the chapter succeeded
in its appeal to regain the Charter after it was withdrawn during a Show Cause
hearing at the Grand Conclave in July resulting from Membership Review in April
2015 investigating hazing rumors and Code of Conduct violations. The Membership
Review resulted in expulsion of many members, the chapter being temporarily closed
and losing IFC and Miami recognition. (For more details about the events that led up
to the appeal see the latest issue of the Fricker Report)
The purpose of the Trusteeship is to provide the chapter a
probationary period to establish operations consistent with SEC expectations
including high levels of service hours and ritual proficiency and to update
organization documents, policies and practices. During the period is chapter is
on a social probation and is also expected to recruit new members. However, the chapter of 30 members was
prohibited from recruiting because Miami prohibits any group that isn’t
recognized by IFC from participating in Greek Life or pledging new members.
The chapter’s leaders put together a proposal to regain official
recognition by IFC and Miami but was not invited to present until April 14,
just a three weeks before the semester ended making it impossible to recruit
pledge and initiate any new members . The timing of the meeting also came after
bad publicity about Miami’s Greek System had gone public (see article: http://www.wlwt.com/news/miami-u-dean-some-hazing-amounted-to-almost-deviant-behavior/38195918
) and after Miami made a dramatic and
unprecedented requirement for all Greek organizations to initiate their pledges
within 4 days of the notification. The Kappa Sigma Chapter had not participated
in the formal recruitment but had been interacting with potential recruits
throughout the semester hoping to receive IFC recognition and move through an pledge
program quickly.
The IFC President had privately indicated to the GM and GP that
he thought that Kappa Sigma would be approved. The chapter’s GM and GP
reportedly made a strong presentation, however the IFC voting members rejected
the proposal. IFC informed the chapter that they could apply for recognition
again in six months. The vote had two impacts: it changed the morale of the
chapter members and it prompted the DGM and Trustee to hold an investigation into
the rumors shared at the IFC meeting.
The chapter members took the news hard and began speaking of
quiting, some members citing their belief that “Miami” would not permit them to
come back as a chapter. With a handful
of members scheduled to graduate, no newly initiated class, a couple members transferring
and additional members indicating that they wanted to disassociate, Alumnus
Advisor Brother Bren was unable to get a minimum 10-12 members to continue with
the Trusteeship. The Trustee in consultation with the DGM determined that the
Trusteeship should end given the lack of commitment. The SEC voted on the recommendation pulling
the charter. Members in good standing
have been moved to alumni status. The official communication stated…
As a result of this decision by the
Supreme Executive Committee, the Theta-Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Sigma
Fraternity is now closed. The
undergraduate chapter should cease and desist from any further operations in any
form or fashion. Any attempt by any member
of the former undergraduate chapter to operate in an underground or sub rosa
fashion, will result in those individuals being suspended or expelled, and
those individuals could also face legal action from the Fraternity. The Brothers of the Theta-Upsilon Chapter are
to cooperate in closing the Chapter in an orderly fashion. The Theta-Upsilon Chapter will have 30 days
from the date of this letter of notice to appeal this decision by the Supreme
Executive Committee. Should the
undergraduate chapter fail to submit an appeal or if an appeal is not
successful, the Fraternity will begin discussions with Miami University to
propose a recolonization effort after all current undergraduate members have
either graduated from the University or have left the institution. We will ask for a maximum absence of three
years. If you plan to submit an appeal
to the Supreme Executive Committee, you must do so in writing in 30 days from the date of this letter of notice.
We regret that this action is
necessary, but the Supreme Executive Committee believes that this is in the
best interest of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and Miami University. We also believe that it will be in the best
interest for a future Theta-Upsilon Chapter.
Will the chapter be restarted like other chapters have in
the state? Time will tell. Members of
the SEC have previously expressed interest in seeing a chapter restarted at
Miami University but are aware of the current situation in Miami’s Greek System
(see http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/06/miami-fraternities-have-few-bad-apples-trustee/84041628/)
that make it a challenging environment. Ultimately, restarts require the
assistance of alumni and most importantly recruitment of a group of students
interested in living to the ideals of the Star and Crescent.
Members of the KSTUAA Board will meet and discuss the
situation at the Annual Meeting June 11, 2016 and will make a recommendation about
the future direction to assist the Theta-Upsilon Housing Company in its
planning. Updates will be shared in Social Media and through email.
Comments and discussion are encouraged in the Facebook and
Linkedin Group pages.
