The following is a Letter to the Editor for the Opinions section. 

Dear Editor,

As the undergraduate student body president, I have an invested interest in the health, safety and well-being of all students here at DU. It has been my belief since my first days here that the student body is the most important factor of any decisions that the university makes. Therefore, I am here to comment on the return of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) to the university.

As a former brother of Theta Chi, I have a holistic understanding of what good a fraternity can do for those who identify as male. During my time has a brother I had a support system of brothers, both academically and emotionally, whose goal it was to not let me slip through the cracks. I had unique leadership opportunities that allowed me to experience various jobs and expectations, which I believe prepared me for my current position as president. Finally, I saw what good can be done when people of various racial, sexual and political identities come together with a shared vision and mission. I feel as though a portion of my own identity could not exist without my time as a Theta Chi.

SAE does not represent these values. Upon reading the article authored by Grace Carson and Hannah Branit, it is clear to see that SAE has had a long history of committing abuse to not only their own brothers but also to the general student body. With incident records stretching back to 2003, SAE has consistently violated a number of university and Inter-Fraternal Council (IFC) policies, with such infractions having merited a meeting with Chancellor Ritchie, multiple cease and desist letters as well as the recent suspension in 2015. To allow them to return to campus would only hurt the students.

This matter will need to be resolved in the near future. As per the article, it is not a matter of “if” but “when” SAE will return to the campus, but it is important that the chapter will return when there is a more democratic, campus-wide manner for it to occur. While I respect the sovereignty of the IFC board, to disregard even the Multicultural Greek Council fraternity chapters in this decision leaves the decision up to a homogenous voting body that is not representative of the larger campus. Further, as per several national by-laws, several chapters are required to vote yes on the return of SAE regardless of what their own chapters believe is the best course of action.

With all this in mind, I write this letter to inform and to warn. I hope the university understands the consequences of allowing such an organization to return to campus. It is important to note that our choices now will have lasting consequences.

Bryce Armijo

DU ’19