the fall of purdue greeks - from a (now former) λ
by: Gone But Not Forgotten
As many of you will soon hear, as of today (May 24th, 2016) Purdue Lambda Chi Psi Zeta will join Sig Ep, Snu, and Beta as formally suspended from Purdue's campus. Alongside our houses are Dchi and Theta Chi, on which Purdue has imposed the strictest levels of organizational probation. Beyond this, numerous other houses are on varying levels of probation or privilege limitation.
As for our situation, it is important for you to know how and why our 100 years on Purdue's campus came to an end. In October the house was placed on a two year probation with strict limitation of privledges after a person under 21 returned to their dorm intoxicated after a party and said they had been at Lambda Chi. During this investigation, the community standards board (on which Brandon Cutler resides and personally attends every hearing) recommended a full 5-year suspension, which was later overturned in favor of a two-year probationary period. At this point, the fraternity experience of half our members has been cut short, and those above (and more or less including) their sophomore year could kiss goodbye ever experiencing the way things were again.
Following more unproven allegations in February, Purdue (read: Brandon Cutler) once again attempted to impose the strictest suspension punishments on our house. After a lengthy judicial and appeals process, we were handed down further punishments in late April that included membership review and rush minimums. [CONTINUED BELOW]
#21by: Somebody's mom
Hey, because I'm a mom, and I am the one who pays the bill for my kid's LXA membership, I just called Purdue to check the facts. I was told it was LXA's National organization that pulled the charter, not the Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities. If you're at all concerned about the 100 year history of your fraternity, then call the National LXA coordinator and ask about whether there is an opportunity for an appeal. Since they didn't suspend you, the OSRR didn't know if there is an appeal process -- which means there could be. Also, it sounds like there was no hearing before the IFC. If someone can get the National LXA organization to support Psi Zeta chapter, maybe you could request a hearing before the IFC? Quit whining about it being someone else's fault and start taking responsibility. Be pro-active. Put your information together, present it to the LXA National and see if they'll allow an appeal. I have a call into them now. Because I'm someone's mom.
Comment#22by: @Mom
Mom -- National LXA, same as with all nationals -- extract money from students and then turn their back on them to support the administrators when there is a problem. Nationals only care about money, not the sort of due-process or fairness you mention. To make money, nationals need to be able to cut deals to "return" to campus in the near future after all of the current students graduate.
Exception to the rule is Kappa Sig nationals who at least so far seem to be supporting their chapters and its members.
by: Somebody's mom
I do find it strange that LXA Nationals has suspended (or revoked) the charters for six chapters (including Psi Zeta) in just over a year: U of Central Florida; SMU (look up the statement by the LXA president at SMU -- it's kind of heartbreaking); University of Oregon; University of Tennessee; and Sam Houston State University. MIT's chapter was closed in 2014.
Something is wrong when Nationals is yanking that many chapters in such a short time, including some of the oldest chapters on certain campuses.
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#25by: Alum
Thanks for clarifying that LXA National pulled the charter; OSSR reported probation:
Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity
Providing alcohol to minors
Organization probation
(12/22/15 - 05/20/17)
1. Alcohol restriction
2. Code of Conduct Recommittment Statement
3. Educational Training
4. Risk Management Plan
Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity
1. Hazing
2. Non-compliance
3. Furnishing false information to Univeristy Officials
Organization Probation
1. No sponsoring or co-sponsoring events with alcohol until 12/17/2016
2. Sponsoring one alcohol eventer from 12/17/2016-5/6/2017
3. No sponsoring or co-sponsoring an event with alcohol Sunday - Thursday from 5/6/2017-12/16/2017
4. Remain under control of the alumni board until 5/6/2017.
by: .
"Thanks for clarifying that LXA National pulled the charter; OSSR reported probation"
That's not a discrepancy but a clear indication of roles.
National orgs control the charters (e.g., the right to exist in the name of the national org, and receive the benefits of advice -- but not the sort of control that make the nationals liable for anything).
The school can recognize and offer benefits (training, advice, use of facilities) to chapters, and can withdraw that recognition (sometimes through a veil of due process via the IFC and OSRR) but other times administrators act unilaterally by citing "safety."
Sometimes national orgs support their chapters. Other times they throw them under the bus and then blame them.
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by: Alumni Board Control?
If that is the same as an Alumni Control Board and anyone is surprised they fell through thin ice I have some swamp land in Florida I'd like to sell you. If IHQ empowered alumni to oversee the chapter already (one step from chapter death) and the chapter still didn't behave, you have made your own bed. You'll have to lie in it now.
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#26by: strategy
"If the national office only cares about money, why would they shut down revenue generating groups? Why shut down chapters if there isn't a problem? That makes no sense.
Because if the nationals don't discipline (incl. removing the charter for a few years) chapters accused of problems (even on weak evidence, even without due process protections, then nationals risk the university administrators taking their own independent action, which may include longer (and perhaps permanent) ban that cuts into their revenue. They view that potential long-term hit to their bottom line as larger than a few years of loss revenue from the chapter and larger than anything that might come from bad feelings towards their way of working. It is that big loss that they are trying to avoid.
by: Somebody's mom
Thanks, Superheroines. I'll certainly check it out. And BTW, the Risk Management Director at LXA Nationals did not returned my calls. Not happy.
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by: Somebody's mom
Sadly, the Purdue SigEp's FB page does not seem to be in existence any longer. The National FB page does not mention the suspension. Would love to have seen the post.
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by: @
by: Alum
Also a greek mom, would be interested in speaking directly with Somebody's mom and Superheroines about this
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by: I call BS
I go to a big southern university with a big Greek system and what you are going through sounds exactly like what's happening here.
DON'T GIVE ME THIS "YOUR NATIONAL DID IT NOT OSSR" stuff. Let me tell you how it really works. The school shuts out the local alumni and deals only with National. They say, "YOU pull your charter and keep our hands free of blood. If you ever want to come back to [university]you play along and do as we say.
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