EDITORIAL: Storming the Castle

The Castle should remain theThe Castle should remain thehome of the Community ServiceThe Castle should remain thehome of the Community ServiceLiving-Learning Program.The Castle should remain thehome of the Community ServiceLiving-Learning Program.____________________________ Following a five-year banishment from campus, the Psi Upsilon fraternity received provisional recognition last week from the University and could return to its original home in the Castle at 36th Street and Locust Walk. The fraternity's resurrection could force the highly successful Community Service Living-Learning Program to relocate, unduly punishing the participants in the community service-oriented residence. We encourage the University to let the community service program remain in the Castle and find another suitable location for Psi U. It is an injustice to uproot these active students for a fraternity that was thrown off campus after kidnapping a student, chaining him to a pole and directing racial slurs at him. Although it is noble that Psi U consultant Michael Corwin, a College of General Studies student, has said he plans to stress integrity, the fraternity's past actions speak for themselves. Not only was the fraternity's charter revoked in 1990, but it has existed secretly since then as the Owl Society, resulting in its denial of new recognition on two occasions. Forgiving Psi U for its past violations should be a gift enough; there is no need to return the fraternity to the Castle's prime campus location. Replacing the community service residence in the Castle with Psi U would send the message that the University gives preference to a fraternity that broke the rules over a group of students who are trying to make West Philadelphia a better place to live. We also wonder how the recognition of Psi U will affect the Greek system. Many fraternities have more than willingly followed a simple set of regulations set out by the University and enjoyed longevity and success. Still, fraternities continue to battle the reputation of beer guzzling, non-intellectuals, with little respect for non-Greeks. As the University starts a trend of readmitting organizations that have already demonstrated little respect for the rules, will Psi U's new recognition reinforce negative stereotypes and stir up images of intense hazing that Greek leaders have been trying to combat? Maybe Psi U has suffered its punishment and should be given a second chance, especially because those involved in the 1990 incident are long gone from Penn. But that second chance should not happen at the Castle, and not at the expense of the Community Service Living-Learning Program.