Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, which left the Inter-Fraternity Council last spring, is currently re-organizing in an effort to be readmitted to the IFC.
Every year, fraternities within the IFC must fill out a fraternal organization agreement to be included in the body. Richardson said Pi Lambda Phi chose not to fill out the form and was subsequently dropped from the IFC.
“They just decided that where they were was not where they want to be,” he said.
Ian Lowe, director of expansion for the Pi Lambda Phi international headquarters, said he is currently on Grounds trying to recruit new members to the fraternity.
“I’ve been talking to anyone that’s interested,” he said.
Lowe said he has been working with IFC President Taylor Richardson as well as Michael Citro, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority life.
“We really want to stress that we want to work with the IFC ... to get recognition by spring or next fall,” Lowe said. “We’re big on Greek unity and we want to be part of the process.”
Richardson said the situation is unusual because Pi Lambda Phi chose to leave the IFC of its own accord as opposed to being ousted for improper conduct or negligence. Generally when a fraternity is ejected from the IFC because of some sort of infraction, “they are expected to leave for three to four years, which allows active [members] to filter out so they can really start over fresh,” Richardson said, noting Pi Lambda Phi is “trying to do it a little quicker.”
There are a number of active and supportive Pi Lambda Phi alumni, he added, so “there is potential to be successful.”
Richardson said for now, though, the IFC only has allowed Lowe and others working with him to reach out to upperclass students.
“At the end of the semester we will look at the interest level and make a decision from there about whether or not reorganization would work so soon,” he said.
Citro, meanwhile, said the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life has been very involved in the process thus far.
“We’ve had conversations with representatives from the [Pi Lambda Phi] national organization and the alumni leadership to talk about a plan,” Citro said. “To be very honest, part of the plan is to reevaluate where this organization is to see if they can successfully return to be a strong fraternity here.”
The IFC has already outlined its expectations in terms of membership, Lowe said.
“If we’re able to meet some of those numbers after this semester and if we continue to meet objectives in the spring,” Lowe said, “our goal is that by fall 2009 we are a fully recognized IFC group.
A major part of the reorganization process, Lowe said, is emphasizing that the fraternity will be different than it was before. The former fraternity members “weren’t living our values,” he explained. “They had some of the negative problems that are associated with the stereotypical bad fraternity.”
John Rivera, the most recent president of the Pi Lambda Phi chapter at the University, said he is no longer affiliated with the fraternity. Similarly, Lowe noted that no members of the past incarnation of Pi Lambda Phi at the University will play a role in the reorganization process.
“We were just kind of going downhill, and we decided to take some time off to work out some of the kinks,” Rivera said, noting that the fraternity’s rush numbers had been down in recent years and it had been unable to make payments consistently. He added that the Pi Lambda Phi house is currently not in use by the fraternity and is being rented out until the international headquarters’ reorganization efforts are complete.
Lowe said he is now searching for men who fulfill the values and mission of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. The fraternity was the first social fraternity on Grounds to admit an African-American brother in 1969, Lowe said, and it wants to get back to the values displayed by those members.
“We want to get back to focusing on character,” he explained. “We’re not looking at race, religion or socioeconomic status but solely at the content of your character.”
Citro said the open dialogue will continue between the IFC and Pi Lambda Phi until a decision is made.
“We’re committed to having a strong fraternity system here [at the University] and that involves working closely with the IFC in terms of the groups they support,” he said. “Part of that is going to involve a discussion of what role, if any, Pi Lambda Phi can play in the community.”
If the IFC decides not to readmit Pi Lambda Phi to the IFC by next fall, it does not necessarily mean the end of the fraternity on Grounds.
“If we determine that at this stage for whatever reason there’s not a large level of interest,” he said, “they could continue to stay distant for a couple years and come back at a time that might be more successful.”
So far, though, Richardson said Lowe and the alumni leadership “do seem pretty committed” to achieving a successful reorganization.
Read More
Student Council passes appointment bill, approves new CIOs at final meeting of semester
By Arshiya Pant | 17 hours agoMendoza Gonzalez also said she will be meeting with Kenyon R. Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, to discuss further strategies for the Student Council Endowment Fund.
Professors speak about leading productive dialogue on Israel-Hamas war
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayThe event was hosted by the University’s Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging, which is designed to ensure that the University is welcoming to community members from all religions and cultures.
Honor Committee considers formal ban of AI detectors as evidence in trials
By Lexie Stadler | 2 days agoThe Committee also addressed balancing student perspectives with those of Committee representatives during panel discussions.
