Following a national chapter review Saturday, the membership Ohio University’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon dwindled from 65 members to now 33 members due to suspensions issued.
The national headquarters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity suspended nearly half of its Ohio Gamma chapter over the weekend, following a membership review Saturday prompted by hazing accusations from Ohio University which also led to an alcohol violation in September.
The OU chapter’s membership dwindled from 65 members before Saturday to 33 members Wednesday.
The university’s investigation into the hazing accusations led to an alcohol violation for the fraternity, said Mitch Matey, chapter president, adding that though the university dropped its hazing accusations, the whole ordeal sparked the national organization to launch a membership review.
Alcohol in a chapter house will lead to an alcohol violation.
Leading up to the membership review
Matey, a junior studying business administration and finance, said the fraternity’s national headquarters “has just been getting mad at us for some little things we’ve been getting in trouble for.”
The membership review was announced to the chapter Oct. 22 and conducted Saturday.
Though Matey said he doesn’t know exactly what prompted the review, he noted a Sept. 17 alcohol and hazing violation, which stemmed from one of their neighbors suspecting fraternity members were beating up a pledge on the porch of their chapter house, as a possible cause for the review.
“It was just two members messing around,” he said. “We refuted the hazing violation and it was eventually dropped.”
Saturday’s review included member interviews, an evaluation of members’ grades and a hair-follicle drug test, which is considered to be more intense than a drug test by urine sample.
Some members opted out, were suspended
Many members were suspended for either refusing to take part in or failing the membership review, Matey said.
OU’s Office of Greek Life declined to comment on the incident.
“The national organization believes that our brothers should ascribe our values and should participate in the education and training we provide,” said Brandon Weghorst, spokesman for the SAE fraternity. “Brothers who fail to do so and those who deviate from our expectations should be held accountable for their actions.”
The suspended members have lost all privileges until they graduate, at which point they can be considered alumni, Weghorst said.
“Most of us were just kind of offended that they brought it upon us without it being prompted,” said Adam Alletto, a sophomore studying business management and strategic leadership, who was among the suspended members who refused to take part in the review. “The reason everyone refused to take it is because we felt like, especially from a person-to-person basis, we didn’t do anything to deserve it.”
“I didn’t want to get 120 hairs taken off my head every three months to be in a fraternity,” he said.
Law enforcement notices ‘issue with membership’
Matey said two members, who did not want to go through the interview process, broke two cameras installed at the fraternity house.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Financial & Housing Corporation called the police Saturday to report a vandalism by known members. Two members were later charged for the criminal damaging of security cameras within the chapter house at 57 E. State St., according to an Athens Police Department report.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said Sigma Alpha Epsilon had requested an off-duty officer for security personnel, which the department recently granted.
“It’s safe to assume they have some sort of issue with membership,” Pyle said. “We’ve heard that as well.”
The suspended members have to move out by this Saturday, Matey said.
Alletto said he does not have a positive outlook for the future of the fraternity’s OU chapter.
“There’s not going to be any incentive to rush the fraternity anymore, so basically it’s going to kind of end on its own, I’d assume,” Alletto said. “Everyone is either going to drop out or quit because there’s not going to be anyone left.”
@lukefurmanou
lf491413@ohio.edu
