Sigma Chi house on campus / (Phillip Waller)
BY HAWLEY MARTIN
thedmnews@gmail.com
The Judicial Council amended its suspension for the Sigma Chi fraternity during a meeting Monday night.
According to an active member of the Ole Miss chapter, the fraternity will “be (active) on campus.”
Sigma Chi will participate in formal recruitment and be allowed full rights to use its house. Members will live in the chapter house, eat meals at the house and participate in and host philanthropy events.
Similarly, fraternity employees will retain their jobs. This was unknown at the time of the initial hearing.
The fraternity will observe one year of social probation.
Changes in the status of Sigma Chi came from the result of a successful appeal entered by the fraternity to the Appellate Consideration Board after the April 4 preliminary ruling of the Associated Student Body Judicial Council.
ASB Judicial Council Chair Harrison Crabtree stated that the adjustment of previously instituted sanctions was the product of fresh perspective.
“After the case was heard by a group of Judicial Council members that had not heard the original case, the council decided the appropriate sanctions,” Crabtree said. “The suspension was lifted; however, they will be placed on social probation and remain on two-strike probation until the conclusion of the Spring 2014 semester.”
According to Sigma Chi chapter president Buckner Corso, this event has strengthened Sigma Chi as a chapter and has cemented the support of its alumni.
“Sigma Chi is pleased with the results of the recent appeal to the appellate board and the decision made by the judicial council,” Corso wrote in a release. “We feel that the new sanctions are fair in relation to the events that occurred. We look forward to the institution of our Action Plan, which was developed with our Alumni Advisors, our Leadership Team and our International Fraternity Headquarters.”
The fraternity remains in violation of the five charges brought against it during the April 4 hearing.
“Our alumni was involved (in the appeal),” said Stewart Pirani. “I would say I’m very pleased like everyone else is.”
“We plan on learning from this process and educating our members so that we can prevent problems in the future,” Corso said. “We look forward to the opportunities before us in the 2013-2014 school year.”
