Dan DaranciangAfter receiving confirmation from the Chancellor during spring break, members of the Sigma Chi fraternity can look forward to moving back into their house this fall.
“We’ve been waiting a long time, and it’s just a great feeling to know we are getting it back again,” said senior Cory Zimmerman, Sigma Chi’s pledge educator.
The fraternity was forced to leave its house in May 2004, when the Greek Life Office, the fraternity’s Alumni Advisory Board, and the Sigma Chi International Office determined that initiation activities which took place at the house during March and April 2004 were in violation of the University’s judicial code.
Videos obtained of the activities in question included pledges submerging their heads in ice water and being pelted with beer cans while performing skits in front of the brothers.
Jill Carnaghi, assistant vice chancellor for students, affirmed that the University has formally allowed the Sigma Chi fraternity to regain their house on campus.
“I think when Sigma Chi was allowed to keep a chapter on campus without a house, they were working for a greater foundation for stability within a fraternity chapter,” said Carnaghi. “Sigma Chi has done an excellent job with meeting those expectations. They are given their full rights as well as the responsibilities and opportunities back to them.”
Carnaghi remained optimistic about Sigma Chi’s performance for the following academic year.
“I have every expectation that they will be an exemplary fraternity with a house next year,” said Carnaghi. “They have been a fraternity during this entire time, but now they have housing.”
The fraternity will remain on probation for another year, a status that requires it to submit monthly reports to the University, which documents the fraternity’s daily operations and summarizes the month’s social and philanthropic events.
The 22 available beds in the house will be given based on seniority, according to Zimmerman.
“We polled the house and we have just about the right number, and it’s a pretty good mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors next year,” said Zimmerman. “We thought it would be overcrowded with seniors, since this would be their only opportunity [to live in the house], but I actually think it’s going to work out perfectly.”
Chapter Advisor Rob Salyer, who graduated from Washington University in 1995, remembers fondly the three years he spent living in Sigma Chi’s house.
“I had 30 of my best friends around me all the time,” said Salyer. “Back then we had a cook, so even the guys living off campus could stop by for lunch. Any time during the day you could find a friend. You could find somebody to study with, or catch a movie. There was always someone around.”
Without a house, the fraternity has faced challenges, including finding a central meeting place to plan its events.
For example, Derby Days, Sigma Chi’s annual fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network, has been postponed until early next semester when the fraternity can better prepare for the week-long event.
“We wanted it to be more well-planned, and it would be in conjunction with getting our house back and being able to use our house for Derby Days,” said Zimmerman.
While losing the house has caused inconveniences for the fraternity, the two-year suspension created opportunities for growth, said Salyer. Increased interaction between current fraternity members of the Alumni Advisory Board, which was created during the hazing investigation, may have helped the fraternity to gain perspective and rediscover the ideals upon which its brotherhood is based.
“[The Advisory Board has] helped everyone focus on what the fraternity is really about,” said Salyer. “Silly degrading things like hazing have no place in the fraternity. They just damage relationships and belittle everyone involved. There are guys, especially older guys, on the board who didn’t even understand the concept of hazing, because that sort of thing wasn’t even around then.”
In addition to help from its alumni, Sigma Chi has received backing from the University, said Salyer.
“The University has been a tremendous source of support through the whole thing,” said Salyer. “In light of how we embarrassed them, they stood behind everything we needed to do to succeed. Some fraternities might view the University as the enemy. But that was definitely not the case.”
Two years of soul-searching has yielded an improved Sigma Chi, Salyer noted.
“This started out as a horrible situation, but it turned out to be for best,” said Salyer. “We’ve centered back on our ideals and what the fraternity is supposed to stand for. It flushed out a lot of negative things involved with the fraternity. It was a painful process, but you can never move forward without a little pain. I can’t explain in words how proud I am of these guys. They’ve done an incredible job.”