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On Tuesday night, the men of Delta Sigma Phi lost their fraternity house.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said he made the decision with the support of the Delt Sig alumni board to close the house starting next fall, in response to continued problems with alcohol in the dry house and other violations of campus and fraternity life.
The issue of the chapter’s charter — whether Delt Sig will exist on campus or not — will be decided by the national fraternity, he said.
“The administration, the national fraternity, and the alumni board are agreed: no one wants to close the chapter,” Petersen said. “It’s not an attack on individuals – it’s about getting the organization right.”
Delt Sig President senior DJ Loy said the house was taken aback by the decision.
“It surprised all of us,” he said. “Although initially many members were upset, we decided that we needed to do whatever was necessary to help bring this group of men back into good standing.”
Petersen said the chapter will meet with a representative from the national fraternity in the coming weeks who will further review the future of the house and the chapter on Hillsdale College’s campus. Delt Sig will not participate in spring recruitment, which starts Sunday.
The decision comes on the heels of a turbulent few years for the 36-member fraternity that has faced criticism for drinking and drug use in the house, as well as most recently, unpaid dues. However, Loy said that many of the most recent issues highlight miscommunications between Delt Sig and Central Hall.
Last semester, Delt Sigs were caught drinking alcohol in their house, and alcohol was found in a fraternity officer’s fridge over Christmas break, despite administrative warnings, Petersen said. Last week, several members of the house were found to have drunk from a beer bong in the upstairs portion of the house.
These actions violated the fraternity’s national bylaws, which require chapters to maintain a grade point average above the campus average to apply for alcohol waivers. Petersen said the fraternity should have been dry for more than 10 years.
Loy acknowledged the house’s imperfections, but pointed to its improvement in recent years. In past years, the chapter held parties in the house despite the national restriction. In 2005, Delt Sigs threw a party where TVs were thrown off the roof, windows were broken, and sinks ripped off walls. Loy said recent incidents cannot compare.
“We realize that the alcohol in the house is the largest issue, but the alcohol use in the house is on such a small scale, we still believe it can be handled internally,” he said.
“It was our understanding with the dean’s office at the beginning of the year that if we handled issues with alcohol internally then the administration would not intervene.”
Loy said he was not allowed to participate in meetings between DSP alumni and the administration, even to clarify issues.
In the case of the two semesters of unpaid dues, Loy said the outstanding $9,000 will be paid by Friday. He blamed a change in the registration process for the mix-up, which he solved by cutting off meals at the house for two days.
Ed Swanson ’60, a Delt Sig alumnus and Hillsdale resident, said the particular issues that prompted Tuesday’s decision represent a larger erosion of values in the fraternity.
“These things kept sliding down, until the real meaning of ‘Why we exist?’ and ‘What is our purpose?’ ‘How does it fit into the college?’ simply got obliterated,” he said. “I’m not casting blame, because if I did that I would have to include myself.”
In 2007, the chapter’s alumni board voted to renounce its charter. Hillsdale administrators stepped in to prevent the action, Petersen said.
“They said, ‘It’s an old thing, it could be good. Let’s keep working at it and let’s see if those guys can fix it.’”
Swanson said serious changes will have to be made if the fraternity is to grow.
“There has to be a meeting of the minds, there has to be a serious evaluation on behalf of the national fraternity to include those of us alums who are actively engaged, to see where does this thing go? And can it go based upon the current culture of the existing house?” he said. “To continue the experience as it is currently known or exists, I think spells nothing but failure.”
Petersen said the administration’s actions are ultimately in best interest of the fraternity.
“I’m trying to remove the distractions and temptations of a fraternity house so they have a better chance of improving their fraternity life,” he said. “If they’re a good and healthy fraternity, and they want to be, they don’t need a chapter house. Fraternity is not about a house.”
Loy said that the chapter is united in its determination to recover. At an emergency meeting Tuesday night, members unanimously agreed to invest time and energy in the rebuilding process.
We are going to do whatever we can to make sure we can stay at 139 Hillsdale St.,” Loy said.
A national Delt Sig representative could not be reached for comment.
