Good News! Ohio Gamma to resume normal operations

GOOD NEWS!!

As you recall, on November 16, 2017 we were advised by the University that all social, recruitment and new member activities for fraternities were suspended until further notice. The University stated that 11 of our 37 fraternities were under investigation for possible violations of the Code of Student Conduct.

Sig Ep was not part of the 11 fraternities under investigation and we have been chosen by the University as the best fraternity on campus for the last 7 years. So we were obviously surprised by this action. However, we applaud the University for looking for a way to better manage the activities of fraternities to avoid the negative incidents which have occurred at other universities.

We are now pleased to report that Sig Ep has already been approved to resume normal chapter activities effective January 6, 2018.

As of this writing, only one other fraternity has gained approval to resume normal activities.

This approval is a real credit to our undergrads and their leadership group. Once we learned of this suspension, the undergrads immediately put together a complete overview of our chapter operations and secured a meeting with the University. This was even before the University had decided how they would allow fraternities to be removed from the suspension.

A few weeks later, the University established a very extensive set of criteria that each fraternity must submit to be approved to resume normal activities. That criteria was very much like the proposal we had originally submitted but in a different format.

So our undergrads quickly resubmitted our programming with the new format. Basically the University is requiring each fraternity to submit in detail all their plans for spring semester and show the rationale for how it will benefit each member and be in keeping with the University’s Code of Conduct. It also requires alumni advisors to attend many of the events. The submission required approval from our Alumni Leaders as well as our National Headquarters.

Thanks to our undergrads and our Balanced Man programming, our plans were already acceptable to resume activities. The material the University requested only required us to further explain those programs. The University has not previously required that level of detail other than for social events.

We are quite pleased to be one of the first 2 fraternities to be able to resume normal activities. It also seems the University’s plan for all fraternities will have a positive affect and create a safer environment for all who are involved with fraternity activities.

Fraternally, John Waggoner and Mike Repasky