Theta Delta Chi, the fraternity banned for 10 years in 1988 from UR after the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old off-campus student, is in the process of re-colonizing at UR.
The group presented their argument for recognition Tuesday night to the Fraternity President’s Council, who will make a decision next week on whether to recognize QDC.
“In the coming days, the Fraternity President’s Council will review the presentation and make a sound decision regarding Theta Delta Chi’s involvement with the Council and our Greek community,” junior and FPC President Matt Davison said.
Other university officials have been impressed with the fraternity’s willingness to make amends for its past and with the quality of the group’s members.
“The group seeking reinstatement as QDC has an opportunity ? and has expressed the desire ? to be a force for good,” Dean of The College William Green said. “It serves no educational purpose to respond negatively when a fraternity seeks responsible membership in our community.”
If FPC recognizes QDC and its 27 members, it will pave the way for Director of Greek Life Monica Miranda and Dean of The College William Green to form the QDC Review Commission. The commission will be made up of staff, students, trustees and alumni.
The review commission will get together at least once
the academic and disciplinary records of members and to serve as an administrative check to make sure the fraternity is living up to university expectations.
The review committee was formed because of the questionable history of the fraternity at UR.
Senior and president of TDC John McCauslin believes that the group who is trying to re-colonize understand the fraternity’s questionable past and that they accept responsibility for the former TDC actions..
“No one would join the group because they see our past as a positive thing. That’s no reason why we would join the fraternity,” McCauslin said. “We take responsibility for them and we’re a whole new group of people. We hope the campus at-large realizes that.”
Disciplinary history
“I think that it wasn’t one event,” interim Dean of Students at The College Jody Asbury pointed out. “It was a history of events that lead up to the sanctioning.” At the time of the 1988 incident, Asbury served as the sexual assault officer in the case.
After being placed on probation in Feb. 17, 1978 “for a series of antisocial acts,” according to then-vice president of Student Affairs Frank Dowd, Theta Delta Chi was involved in an incident on Sept. 21, 1978.
Eleven to twenty members of the fraternity entered the room of a freshman and assaulted him, resulting in injury warranting care at Strong Memorial Hospital. The incident resulted in the expulsion of all the 29 members from the house until Dec. 15, 1978.
Nine years later, on Oct. 22, 1987, a Domino’s pizza man was attacked in the Theta Delta house.
The biggest of their problems occurred on Feb. 15, 1988, when two members raped a girl inside the TDC House. Following the incident, the fraternity was closed on March 3, 1988, and stripped of official UR recognition for ten years, in accordance to a memorandum sent by Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Paul Burgett. All resident members of the fraternity were evicted from University housing facilities, except for first or second semester freshman, who were allowed to stay in accordance with university policy regarding of all freshman students. The national organization held the chapter in “receivership,” meaning that the chapter could not initiate new brothers, but could still bring in new pledges.
On May 2, 1991, National Theta Delta Chi revoked the local chapter’s charter.
Two years later, the “fraternity” held an open rush, which Burgett said was “in direct violation of our sanctions against them.”
Ten students made a presentation at the annual Theta Delta Chi convention that resulted in the rechartering of nineteen brothers of the local chapter in 1995.
On Dec 5, 1996, however, the international Theta Delta Chi organization revoked the local chapter after a fight broke out between Delta Kappa Epsilon and Theta Delta Chi in May, 1996.
As a result of the fight, most of the members from the old fraternity were expelled from UR, Burgett said.
In May of 1997 a committee appointed by President Jackson drafted an outline of the criteria that Theta Delta Chi would have to meet in order to be reinstated. To begin the reinstatement process, alumni and prospective new members must present a list of proposed members.
The proposed membership must have an overall grade point average that is equal to or above the average GPA for all other UR fraternity members after four years. In addition, each individual must have a GPA of 2.0 – the minimum UR requirement.
Proposed members must not have any academic honesty offenses or serious disciplinary offenses and previous members are excluded.
Once these requirements are met, the Fraternity Presidents Council reviews the application information and approve or disapprove the group based on FPC standards. TDC is currently being evalutated by the FPC
Miranda said that it all 27 members of the fraternity have met the the requirements set forth by the report.
“Their motivation seems very sincere,” Miranda said. “They have definitely completed things all the requests I’ve given them.”
If the fraternity is approved by the FPC, the review committee will be formed and will exist for the probationary period of four years.
Probationary conditions specify that the Review Commission must approve the induction of all new members. The chapter must also be a fully participating member of FPC, have a minimum of five alumni chapter advisers, and an involved faculty adviser.
Programming requirements are also spelled out in probationary conditions. The chapter must have a formal “member education” program in which the individual and personal development of members will be monitored.
There will be mandatory programming that will include events to promote awareness on issues such as hazing, substance abuse, harassment and assault. The fraternity will also be required to host outreach programs, diversity programs, community service projects, and programs that are cosponsored with non-Greek campus organizations.
The group that approached FPC has already begun a range of service projects including volunteer work at the YMCA on Thirsten Street in Rochester.
“Since we are aware of their past, we know that we’re going to be judged more closely than others,” McCauslin said. “We want to be a positive force. A lot of people are looking at us.”
Additional reporting by Chadwhick Schnee and Karen TaylorHildebrandt can be reached at thildebrandt@campustimes.org.
