IFC recharters Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) voted to give Georgia Phi, the local chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity, full membership to the Interfraternity Council (IFC) last Monday. SAE granted a charter to Sigma Phi Jan. 21 after the chapter, which represents Tech’s second oldest fraternity on campus, was suspended in 2000 for violating the IFC’s Rush, Social and Hazing policies.

The chartering process was the fastest in the fraternity’s history, according to Buck Cooke, associate dean of Students.

“Chartering is usually a two to three year process. For SAE it usually takes 18 months to 2 years. It took [Georgia Phi] almost 12 months exactly. They just did an amazing job,” he said.

“To get a charter, the group has to become a colony, and when it meets requirements, it becomes a chapter. From the campus perspective, it has to be recognized as a student organization and a member of IFC,” Cooke said

Cooke said that the Office of Greek Affairs began working with the fraternity’s alumni in 2001 on plans to reorganize the chapter.

“The local alumni started working with us to make plans for the chapter coming back,” Cooke said. “We were also in communication with staff at the fraternity’s headquarters based in Illinois.”

SAE’s alumni presented a plan to the Office of Greek Affairs in May 2004 regarding the chapter’s chartering.

“[The alumni] presented us with a re-chartering plan [describing] the steps they wanted to take,” Cooke said.

Local alumni recruited new members for the colony in January 2005.

“Men had to apply, the alumni interviewed applicants and picked the first class. They went to the student organizations and my office [for assistance],” Cooke said. “They had great alumni support. [Alumni] recruited some really stellar men.”

During January 2005, the group began the process of gaining recognition as a campus organization.

“The men started the process of becoming a recognized student organization at Tech. Once they received pending charter status [from Tech], the colony petitioned IFC for provisional membership,” Cooke said. The colony was granted provisional membership until receiving a charter from SAE.

The students selected to be part of Georgia Phi’s first class moved into the chapter’s previous residence on Fourth Street Aug. 5, 2005, where they held formal rush events.

Since the suspension in 2000, the house had been used by Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Xi Delta.

A group of 33 members was officially initiated into Georgia Phi after the chapter regained its charter in late January. Kyle Brumby, a fourth-year Industrial Engineering major, was elected president.

“The chapter issued a new charter from SAE. They were also presented with the original charter [used before the suspension],” Cooke said. “The men in the chapter now are listed as the Founding Fathers in the charter.”

“I’m very excited. This is something I’ve been looking forward to and that I’m very proud of. We’ve already had a strong start and we will continue to grow,” Brumby said.

Brumby said that the chapter had put together a very comprehensive plan that deals with hazing.

According to Brumby, Sigma Phi plans on being more sensitive to the hazing policies enforced by IFC and SAE.

“[Hazing] is something that’s part of the national bylaws. It’s against federal law and against fraternity laws,” Brumby said.

“SAE sponsors seminars about hazing and how to prevent [hazing],” he said.

He also said that all of the chapter’s members feel that hazing is inappropriate.

“One of the reasons I don’t feel it’s a problem right now is because most of our members didn’t join [other] fraternities for reasons surrounding this,” Brumby said. “We feel it is constructive to better our new members with constructive and positive reinforcement. Hazing doesn’t work.”

“I am confident about what the men of Georgia Phi will bring to our campus. I could not be more excited about [SAE] coming back,” Cooke said.