The Fraternity Presidents’ Council’s decision to recharter the Theta Delta Chi fraternity after a twelve year absence was watched closely by administrators, students and alumni. Bringing back the fraternity that once caused this campus so much pain allows the new brothers of Theta Delt to cleanse the name of their fraternity, and bring new connotations to the name that has been shunned for so long.
While the crimes committed by past brothers were heinous, this new version of Theta Delt does deserve to be admitted into UR. The name Theta Delt still carries a stigma of past crimes, but that doesn’t mean it has to be attached to the new members. UR students, faculty and administrators cannot generalize and stereotype this most recent incarnation of Theta Delt. These men were just beginning elementary school when the crime was committed, and it is unfair to force them to pay penance for a crime they did not commit.
While it is important to give the fraternity a chance, any bad behavior on their part cannot be tolerated. The requirements of their rechartering includes strict behavioral and academic guidelines for Theta Delt, and they need to be followed to the letter.
The standard set for Theta Delt is admittedly higher than that of other fraternities, but its past gives good reason for the sanctions. If these new men want to cleanse the name of Theta Delt, they need to be willing to make the sacrifice and prove that they are worthy of re-admittance.
The crime committed by the past members was a terrible one, and should not be forgotten within the UR community. If the new Theta Delt shows any indications that there has not been a break from the past that they profess to have shown, then swift action needs to be taken to ensure that no such crime happens on this campus again.
Theta Delt should be welcomed back to this campus with no preconceived prejudices against them, but with a word of caution that they need to be on their best behavior because, like it or not, the whole university will be watching.
