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January 25, 2006

Greek Life

Colony, council clash on national bylaws

Pi Kappa Alpha should be given Interfraternity Council membership, members say.

Story by: Alexa Garcia-Ditta

The Shorthorn staff

Members of Pi Kappa Alpha, a colony chapter of the national fraternity said the campus Interfraternity Council violated its own national bylaws by denying the colony participation in formal rush activities and membership in the Greek governmental body.

Council President Justin Pickering has refuted the charge, saying “the IFC has not placed any form of restriction on the Pi Kappa Alpha colony. Since the colony is not currently a member of the [Interfraternity Council], we do not have the ability to place any restrictions or sanctions upon it.”

Julie Murphy, Greek Life assistant director, said the council can deny Pi Kappa Alpha’s participation in formal rush activities because they are a colony — an early stage of an organization trying to become a fraternity, without full rights and privileges — and not a council member.

The colony’s members have charged the council with acting in direct violation of the North American Interfraternity Conference’s standards in denying Pi Kappa Alpha membership. According to the national standard, “the host institution’s Interfraternity Council may not deter expansion by withholding membership of [a North American Interfraternity Conference] group from [the Interfraternity Council].” Pi Kappa Alpha members claim that since the colony’s national organization is a member of the conference their campus organization cannot be denied membership into the campus Interfraternity Council.

“In the past, we’ve had challenges that we’ve overcome. This is no different,” Josh Usry, Pi Kappa Alpha colony member and philosophy senior said.

The council’s national chapter bylaws state that, “chapters agree to and support open expansion on their respective campus.”

No conference member can be denied open expansion, but the council cannot support open expansion if rushing privileges are denied, Usry said.

“According to this bylaw, every member of [the North American Interfraternity Conference] is required to support open expansion on their campuses,” he said. The conference includes every fraternity on campus.

Justin Gerstenberger, the colony’s president, said the organization’s expansion has been restricted by the council for the past year.

Greek Life Adviser Mike Taddesse said the campus council is not required to follow their own national bylaws. He said the conference standards are just a set of guidelines to follow, and are not set in stone. Every campus is different and every council is different.

The campus council answers to the departments of Student Activities and Student Affairs, Taddesse said. The campus council has its own constitution with standards to follow.

Murphy said that the council voted to deny Pi Kappa Alpha’s petition because of their status as a colony. In the past, she said, organizations that have applied as colonies have failed to fulfill requirements for getting their charters. She said the Pi Kappa Alpha colony is concentrating on getting their charter and moving along successfully and this situation is close to being resolved.

Essentially, the colony is not at a disadvantage in being denied formal rush privileges, Murphy said. Being part of formal rush means having to follow formal rush restrictions, she said. The colony’s members are free to rush in whatever way they please.

However, Usry said the colony will not get as much publicity and exposure because it cannot participate in formal rush activities.

“Anytime you’re withheld something that others aren’t, you’re at a disadvantage,” he said. “How can open expansion be possible if we aren’t allowed to participate?”

Correction

The article should have stated that Julie Murphy is the assistant director of Student Activities in Greek Life.