National organization removes five Phi Sig members

Five members of the University chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity were removed from the house by the fraternity's national organization this weekend, a national fraternity official said last night. Todd Simpson, Phi Sig's national director of member services, said the removed brothers who live in Phi Sig's Locust Walk house have until next Friday to vacate the building and find new housing. The five members have been placed on "specialized third degree status," the equivalent of most fraternities' early alumni status. They are still a member of the fraternity, but are not allowed in the chapter's house and cannot attend any of its functions, except for alumni events such as Founders' Day, said Bill Jaffe, president of the University's chapter. Jaffe said if any of these members enter the house, they may face expulsion. The brothers were removed as part of a reorganization of the chapter. The reorganization, which took place all day Saturday, stems from an alleged hazing incident on January 18 involving an intoxicated initiate. Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman, who is investigating the fraternity independent of the national organization, said she cannot judge how this decision affects her investigation. "Before I would ever say how the result of their investigation affected mine, I would have to know why they removed the brothers and/or pledges," Goodman said last night. She added she is currently deciding if she will file charges based on her investigation. Goodman and Simpson have declined throughout their investigations to say what happened in the alleged incident. According to Simpson, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs has provided information on housing, adding that on-campus housing will be available immediately. Simpson would not say exactly how many of the removed brothers live in the fraternity's house, but he did say a "majority" of them live in the house. A five-member reorganization team made up of national officials and local alumni interviewed 31 of the 32 members of the house for nine hours Saturday in the Bishop White room in Houston Hall, and then discussed each case until midnight, Simpson said. The member who was not interviewed voluntarily decided not to be in the reorganized house, Jaffe said. This member is not included in the five members removed. Jaffe said he was informed of the decision yesterday morning, and he then notified the five members who were to be removed. "[It] was extremely difficult," the College junior said. "[I was] put in a position as bearer of bad news, but it is one of the responsibilities that I have." Simpson said the removal of brothers was "the hardest part of my position," but he said he was glad to have a core group of brothers "committed to positive changes." Jaffe said he and the chapter are upset over the loss of their friends, but "everybody is pretty relieved to some extent, and now we can start the process of rebuilding the chapter and making it a true fraternity." Simpson said he was very optimistic for the future of the University's house. Brothers will meet often with local and national officials for leadership training and chapter planning, he said. In the fall, the chapter will have a long range planning retreat.

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