On Thursday, Jan. 24, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) held an informational session in conjunction with the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to present its case regarding recolonization at DU.
The Colorado Zeta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon received a four-year suspension in 2015 as a result of repeated offenses. Now at the end of the four-year suspension, SAE petitioned to “recolonize” at DU. Recolonization of fraternities is the process in which an inter/national headquarters that was previously established on DU’s campus is invited to re-establish a colony on the campus.
Students that had questions or concerns regarding this re-establishment were encouraged to make their concerns clear and clarify any questions they had at the meeting.
Liliana Rodriguez, Vice Chancellor of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence, began the night by explaining the purpose of the panel, as well as explaining the history of SAE on DU’s campus. Four years ago, SAE was suspended from campus due to repeated offenses. Rodriguez emphasized that this decision was a joint decision between both the administrators at DU as well as the national board of SAE. As was agreed upon, after the four years of suspension, SAE was allowed to petition for recolonization. At the beginning of this year, the national headquarters from SAE and SAE alumni began asking to petition to recolonize the Colorado Zeta chapter.
The process of recolonization, Rodriguez explained, is one in which students are encouraged to speak up with any concerns that they might have. This process is a partnership between the administrators, the fraternity and the students of the school.
The presenters included Kyle Shatto, Coordinator of Chapter Development; Alan Fisher, a Manager of Chapter Development; J.J. Simon, an alumni who is also a DU graduate and a fourth alumni from Boulder, Colo.
Shatto started the presentation with an overview of the fraternity. Founded in 1856 at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, SAE was revived after the Civil War in 1867 at the University of Georgia at Athens, Georgia, as well as at the University of Virginia. SAE considers its core motto “The True Gentlemen” by John Walter Wayland.
This year, SAE put an end to the pledge process. In its place, they instituted the True Gentleman Experience, a “holistic educational program for Sigma Alpha Epsilon members that provides a well-rounded learning experience throughout all of their collegiate academic years.” The program is divided into five different parts, each corresponding with different stages in school; the Baseline Experience, the Loyalty Experience, the Friendship Experience, the Honor Experience and the Fraternity Experience. After receiving an invitation, potential new members are given 96 hours to accept their bid and become “new members” at SAE.
During their four years in SAE, members would be expected to complete a combination of online and in-person trainings regarding alcohol and sexual assault, as well as programs based in the significance of SAE, wellbeing, personal growth, citizenship and leadership. In addition to these trainings, members would be required to attend any trainings required by the university.
Shatto outlined the requirements that SAE is looking to uphold for new members. Among them is a requirement for a 2.5 GPA and involvement with one other student organization. Throughout the course of the year, the members would be expected to attend 75% of ritual meetings, 85% of chapter meetings and complete 20 hours of service.
Despite these new policy changes implemented this year, SAE still faces national problems. Previously, a 2013 report by Bloomberg highlighted the longstanding trends of suspension that have followed SAE. From 2007 to 2013, Bloomberg found that out of the 240 chapters that SAE hosted, over 100 had received disciplinary action from universities. SAE reported more drinking, drugs or hazing deaths than any other fraternity, with nine related deaths reported since 2006 to the time of the report.
These problems persist. On Jan. 11, 2019, an SAE student was found dead at UC Irvine due to binge drinking. The investigation is still pending, but preliminary reports link the student to an SAE UC-Irvine recruitment event where “drugs and copious amounts of alcohol were present at the party.” On Nov. 27, 2018, the SAE chapter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was placed on a four-year disciplinary suspension after they were found responsible for hazing. At West Virginia University, the SAE chapter was placed on interim suspension on following member David Rusko’s fall in the house on Nov. 10, 2018. Reports from the incident show that more than two hours had passed between Rusko’s fall and the call for help by his brothers. SAE released a statement, placing the chapter on suspension and starting their own investigation, results of which are still pending. As of Nov. 1, 2018, the SAE chapter at the University of Texas – Martin, was placed on interim suspension pending the outcomes of a university investigation regarding alleged hazing.
Students and organizations on campus worry about SAE’s return to campus. In a conduct report sent out to the presidents of organizations, there were over 75 pages of conduct reports on DU’s SAE chapter, including inappropriately themed parties, drug and alcohol possession, vandalism and harassment of women walking on campus. Another part of SAE’s suspension was conduct reports from individual members of the fraternity, which cannot be released due to FERPA laws.
Britta Peterson, member of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc. (TNX) chapter, a Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) sorority, told the Clarion, “Nationwide, their [SAE’s] reputation is one of regular assault, sexism, racism and systemic abuses and a refusal to address these issues in a meaningful way. I think the lack of transparency around their conduct, their return and the processes in between, is shameful and dangerous. Keeping people in the dark, and refusing to have open communication is how abuses, like those detailed in the 50-page conduct report that got SAE removed from campus, continue to happen.”
Some students and organizations are also upset that SAE’s return did not involve their input. Sawyer Nash, a member of IFC organization Theta Chi, told the Clarion, “I am incredibly disappointed but not surprised that DU students did not have a say in this, considering it is the students who will have to face the consequences of allowing SAE back.”
In response to student concerns, Carson Lance, Associate Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at DU, stated, “Return agreements are set forth between DU and inter/national fraternal organizations, not the governing councils. Students do and have had a say in the matter. Voices from all councils were heard last Thursday, additional feedback is being provided by students to the IFC, IFC is listening to this feedback as they prepare for the vote, and IFC members will be voting when to allow SAE members to come back to campus.”
TNX placed a statement on SAE’s return on Jan. 24 that stated, “The responsibility of voting on the reinstatement has been granted to the Interfraternity Council organizations. The opinions of these organizations are not representative of the voices of FSL as a whole, nor of the DU community as a whole. Those who identify as women within Fraternity and Sorority Life and all members of Multicultural Organizations have not been given a chance to share their voices because of the format of student voting…. The entire community [of FSL] should have a voice in who is allowed to represent them on campus, and in who they feel will represent FSL in a way that is congruent with community and university values.”
Lance stated that the reason why MGC and Panhellenic organizations are unable to place a vote is because “that does not respect the sovereignty of council governance and decision-making in all of our FSL councils. Every council is given sovereignty and makes decisions accordingly for their council community. In addition, MGC and Panhellenic bylaws do not allow any other council to vote in matters regarding their expansion process.”
While the partnership between SAE and DU was described as a “partnership between the administrators, the fraternity and the students of the school,” Lance has stated to the Clarion that IFC will be determining not if but rather when SAE will be allowed to return on behalf of IFC. This is because, in DU’s agreement to suspend SAE in 2015, the administration agreed that it is best practice to create a return agreement when a group has their recognition revoked. The people involved in creating and approving the return agreement were from Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), Office of Student Engagement (OSE), Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) and other administrative positions like Rodriguez.
Lance explained that SAE has been undergoing the petition to recolonize process for the last part of the year, and since the fraternity has completed everything they need to do to petition to come back per their return agreement and current IFC expansion plan, DU is required to follow the return agreement they established.
IFC organizations will vote on when SAE will return to campus on Feb. 7, and the meeting will be closed to the public. There is no minimum or maximum length in which they can return yet. Although five of the seven IFC organizations on campus are currently participating in the conduct process, their rights to operate as a chapter are not dismissed, dissolved or suspended on unless the university chooses to suspend all chapter activities. Therefore, these IFC organizations will still be able to vote.
Notes taken by the Clarion can be found and accessed here.
