Several former members of the University's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity will meet with national leaders of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity today in hopes of chartering a new chapter.
Earlier this month, national leaders of Alpha Epsilon Pi began the reorganization of the University's Mu Chapter by interviewing suspended brothers to determine who would be allowed to return. After successful sessions, 13 of the 25 brothers who interviewed were offered invitations to return. None of the brothers accepted, however, looking to Kappa Delta Rho instead.
Second-year Engineering student Michael Katz said he and the 14 members of his pledge class decided prior to the interviews to join together or decline divided.
"When only 50 percent of the pledge class gets in, it's like, morally wrong to accept," he said. "What's a fraternity without [all] your brothers?"
Andrew Neiberg, national director of chapter development, conducted interviews with the intent of determining "which initiated members can be entrusted with leading the Mu Chapter into the future while making the changes needed in the operations of the chapter," according to his letter to the Mu Chapter this summer.
National Alpha Epsilon Pi officials did not return multiple phone calls for comment.
But second-year Architecture student Jimmy Bresnahan said he believed the questions asked were too broad to allow Nationals to distinguish one brother from another.
"The questions were really general and they didn't really tell you anything about the person who was answering them," he said.
Neither Brasnahan nor Katz were asked about the hazing allegations with which Nationals originally charged the chapter.
"We're the people who would have known [about hazing]," Brasnahan said.
After the interviews, the pledges decided that it was time to move on.
"It wasn't until a few days later that I realized that rejoining AEPi wasn't a possibility," Katz said. "And we decided to look for a new fraternity to start a chapter here."
Kappa Delta Rho has several other chapters at colleges in and around Virginia, including Virginia Tech. Through Kappa Delta Rho, the students hope to continue the brotherhood that began with Alpha Epsilon Pi.
"We just spent an entire semester pledging AEPi and we didn't want to throw everything away," Katz said.
Although nothing has been finalized between the brothers and Kappa Delta Rho, Katz remains optimistic.
"We want to start up fresh," he said. "Hopefully KDR will work out."
Michael Citro, assistant dean of fraternity and sorority life, said former Alpha Epsilon Pi brothers have not contacted him about starting a new fraternity.
"I'm interested to have a conversation with this group of men to better understand their situation so we can better support their needs," Citro said.
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