A hearing from the six-person Judicial Board of the Interfraternity Council announced the expulsion of Sigma Pi after two years of rule violations.
According to an IFC news release, the most recent violation was the supply of alcohol to recruits during this year’s rush week. Sigma Pi’s expulsion was confirmed by 15 voters of the chapter. The fraternity cannot reapply for membership in the IFC before the fall semester of 2018.
The outside of the Sigma Pi Fraternity. The fraternity was expelled, but a former member said, “The ruling for how long we have been expelled does not fit the crime committed. People drink all the time during rush week in other houses and the punishment was way too long. Chi Psi killed a pledge in 2004 from alcohol poisoning and was kicked out of the IFC for five years, which is the same amount of time as us for just hanging out and throwing a few brews back with our buddies.” (Connor Dudley/CU Independent)
The Interfraternity Council has been an organization since 2005 and aims to promote interest in fraternities and collaboration between them, and to cooperate with CU and Boulder.
According to the release, the members of the Interfraternity Council agree that the decision to expel Sigma Pi was necessary to restore the outside expectations of fraternities in general.
Sophmore advertising major and ZBT fraternity brother Hunter Bonge, 19, participated in the six-person jury that expelled Sigma Pi.
“I feel that it was a necessary precedent to set,” Bonge said. “If Sigma Pi was allowed to stay, other fraternities would feel like these violations were not that big of a deal. It is disappointing that the Greek system lost one of its largest fraternities, and I feel horrible for the 100 -plus Sigma Pis who were most affected by this. However, I feel that it was necessary to expel them from the IFC in order to re-affirm our standards as the fraternities at CU.”
Though believing the decision was necessary, Bonge sympathized with Sigma Pi.
“I saw their president take the news and was able to put myself in his shoes,” Bonge said. “I would never want to be in his position. I imagined what it would be like if my fraternity was no longer recognized and if we lost our house. I can’t imagine many things worse than that.”
Sigma Pi alumni issued the following statement from IFC Chief Jake Becker, but declined to be interviewed:
“We considered the alternative sanctions from the chapter and International Fraternity. Our Judicial Board unanimously agreed that they were insufficient, given the seriousness of these offenses and the embarrassment caused to our community. The Board did not take this action lightly or happily, but rather out of necessity for the welfare of our fraternity community as a whole.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Mary-Lynn Elliott at Marylynn.elliott@colorado.edu, twitter.com/@Mayelliott_
