Sigma Phi Epsilon dismisses 21 members

In an endeavor to survive, Sigma Phi
Epsilon Fraternity dismissed 21 members Sunday night.
Amid controversy and reports of violent and disgraceful
behavior, the Sig Eps removed one-third of their 64 members and enacted
a zero-tolerance ordinance.
Sig Ep President Mark Roberts, Battle Creek junior,
said the newly-created alumni judicial board could possibly subject
more members to expulsion from the fraternity.
“I don’t have much pride right now, but I will have
a sense of pride if I can return to this campus in 10 years and see
this chapter still existing,” he said. “That’s when I’ll see my pride.
It’s not a pride thing right now, it’s kind of more like survival.”
At 10 p.m. Sunday night Roberts said he handed each
member a letter stating whether they would remain in Sigma Phi Epsilon.
“I wrote two letters, pretty standard-type letters,
saying ‘you’re in, you’re out.’”
Roberts said the members who were dismissed were
dismissed by the group as a whole.
“The group extends to the CMU chapter, the national
(headquarters) and the alumni board.”
CMU alumnus and current Sig Ep adviser Todd Levitt
said, “Criteria was put forth by our national fraternity in Virginia,
we’re just following through.”
Levitt said a zero-tolerance program has been initiated
and is enforced by ordinances that are Michigan laws.
“All I’m asking them to do is behave how society
asks them to. It’s not that hard. To go along with that is a set of
ordinances, like every city has ordinances, we have ordinances.”
And there will be no due process.
“Any wrongdoing by any member of the fraternity,
you’re gone,” Levitt said.
Levitt said he and Eric Gloudmons, soon-to-be president
of the Sig Eps’ alumni association, will co-chair the fraternity’s newly-created
attorney alumni judicial board.
“The board has been empowered by national to oversee
the fraternity over the next four years,” he said. “Basically, their
fate lies in our hands, and we will monitor them closely.
“It goes back to when I was in college. We worked
for five years to ensure that the fraternity would be there today. I
am not going to let it be thrown away by these current members who are
out of control. That’s why I’m still active, I want it to survive,”
Levitt said.
Levitt said along with zero tolerance, fraternity
members will be required to attend programs each semester where speakers
will give presentations on alcohol abuse and misuse, sexual assault,
drugs and other topics.
“We’re also going to be providing counseling for
any members of the fraternity who need drug or alcohol counseling,”
Levitt said. “We’re going to let members know the counseling is there
for them. We think all fraternities and sororities should do this.”
In addition, members will be subjected to random
drug tests, he said.
“This is all going to be monitored by the new judicial
alumni board. A great number of us are attorneys, so we deal with the
judicial system every day,” Levitt said.
The alumni association is separate from the judicial
alumni board, Levitt said, and the association has been revamped.
“The old group was out of touch with the current
members because it was made up of individuals who graduated 20 years
ago,” he said.
Now, the new alumni are “closer in time” and age,
Levitt said, so that Sig Eps can relate to one another.
“One of the biggest problems has been that there
hasn’t really been alumni involvement in the fraternity, so the direction
has taken a downturn,” Levitt said. “Involvement is important because
it’s a learning process.”
Roberts said a new way of RUSHing the fraternity
will be implemented, along with the other changes.
“The Balanced Man Project – it eliminates the pledge
process. You become an active member right away. It’s a year-round process.”
Instead of confining RUSH to a certain time period,
Roberts said new members can join any time once an interview process
has been successfully completed.
“You have to go through an interview process with
a group committee and then a final interview with Todd (Levitt).”
Once accepted, members begin a three-semester long
process.
“It’s basically an educational program,” he said.
Roberts said new members learn fraternity history,
as well as participating in activities with the rest of the full-fledged
members, including drug testing and attending presentations.
“We’re the only fraternity in the nation that’s doing
this,” he said.
After each successful semester, members earn a Greek
letter. The first semester new members are known as Sigmas; the next
semester, members are given the designation of Sigma Phi; and, finally,
they are known as Sigma Phi Epsilon members.
Roberts said the university will review the fraternity’s
status at the end of the term, as they are on probation for an incident
involving the destruction of property owned by Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.
“(The new policies) could be for nothing, but we
feel it needs to be done regardless,” he said.
Roberts said the incident involved an alumnus who
returned to campus and damaged property at the Beta house.
“Even though it was an individual act, he was still
a member of our group and it was representational.”
Though they may amount to nothing, Roberts said the
endeavors toward change is for future members.
“We’re here to get an education and fraternities
are here to get a growth experience. There’s a lot of good that comes
from fraternities and this group,” he said.
Regardless of what happens, Roberts said he’s not
looking back.
“There’s just a positive outlook from here on out.
We’re making a lot of positive strides right now.”
“I think it’s actually going to be good for the group
and maybe others will follow. The bottom line is people are there to
get an education and we’re going to stress education first,” Levitt
said.
“Current members who are not booted are pretty solid
members. We’ve gotten rid of the bad apples. I think this is a positive
step in the right direction, and I will not let it be otherwise,” he
said.

• Campus community members demonstrate mixed reactions

By Angie Fenton
LIFE Editor

Reactions to the dismissal of one-third
of Sigma Phi Epsilon members were mixed.
Joyce Henricks, associate professor of philosophy,
said she was glad to see the fraternity doing its own house cleaning.
“It seems to me they should be doing their own instead
of having someone come from the outside. I’m pleased to hear that. They
don’t need that kind of reputation,” she said.
Henricks, who has been vocal about fraternity members’
past behaviors, said, “I’ve been concerned about some of the stories
I’ve heard and recently they seem to have been escalating.”
Chad Garland, assistant director of Student Life,
said he was surprised the national Sig Ep headquarters didn’t come in
earlier and take other measures.
“Normally when you have problems like this, the national
organization will come in right away and pull the charter.”
Garland said national organizations will often evaluate
membership and if there are problems from a certain handful of members,
moving those individuals into alumni status, so they are no longer considered
active members.
“I think it’s a good step with any fraternity or
sorority that have had a lot of concerns over a large amount of time.
I would hope that it’s not too late for them.”
Regardless of any measures taken by the CMU chapter,
Garland said the national organization, as well as the university, is
still looking into whether further action should be taken.
“It’s in their best benefit to make sure the members
that are there are the ones who want to be there,” he said. “It’s always
difficult for the ones who are released, but in the long run I think
it’s best for everyone.”
Todd Cowles, Grand Rapids senior and sociology student
who said he has researched incidents involving Sigma Phi Epsilon’s chapter
at CMU for publication in Voices of Dissent, said he doesn’t think the
problem will be solved.
“I think in three years the problem will rise again,”
Cowles said. “I think they need to be removed from campus.”
Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said it was his understanding
that the group has been aware of some members who have not lived up
to the expectations of the national organization.
“I was unaware that the local chapter was going to
do something about it,” he said. “But that doesn’t preclude or reduce
the likelihood of the university taking steps with regard to the organization.
“We’ll make a decision at the end of the term as
to whether or not the group will be a registered student organization
next semester.”
Roscoe said he has a meeting scheduled for this afternoon
with Sig Ep Adviser Todd Levitt and Mark Roberts, Sig Ep president and
Battle Creek junior.
LIFE Assistant News Editor David M. Bossick contributed
to this report.