It is ironic that the national headquarters of Sigma Phi Epsilon would revoke the charter of U.Va.'s Eta Chapter in their effort to "challenge stereotypes" of fraternities and promote a more "personal and professional" fraternal experience. Fraternities at U.Va. are notoriously homogeneous in their worldviews and elitist with respect to their membership practices. SPE was neither. After four years at U.Va. I cannot recall a fraternity as bright, engaging, funny, and fun-loving as SPE. That more well-connected fraternities have been allowed to exist despite concrete evidence of hazing and impropriety, while SPE was terminated for committing vagaries of "disruptive behavior" is additional evidence of SPE's egalitarian ethos. Though I was not a brother, I felt honored to be treated as one, and if the national headquarters truly wanted to "challenge stereotypes" they missed their chance, much to the detriment of SPE's brothers, friends, family, and alumni.
Christopher Robbins\nCLAS '08
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