Phi Sig house shut down for major violations

The 17 Phi Sigma Kappa brothers were told of the decision yesterday. Imagine waking up in the morning and going to class only to find out hours later that you've been kicked out of your house. That was the case yesterday for the 11 Phi Sigma Kappa brothers who inhabit the fraternity's house at 3615 Locust Walk, as the Phi Sig national office closed down the 98-year-old Mu chapter, citing repeated risk-management violations as well as pornographic material linked to the chapter's Web page. The Phi Sig national organization had been expressing concern about the 17-member chapter's risk management for quite a while, according to Scott Reikofski, director of Penn's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. According to a source familiar with the situation, the fraternity was also suspended due to poor leadership and because it was in debt. The brothers were notified of the chapter's indefinite suspension via letters faxed by OFSA and the Grand Chapter -- Phi Sig's national office -- at about 11 a.m. yesterday, although the national office's letter was dated Saturday, April 4. Reikofski told the brothers they would only have until 4:30 p.m. yesterday "to move as much of [their] belongings as possible" out of the house and into dormitory rooms set aside for them in High Rise East and Graduate Tower B for no extra charge. Penn owns the fraternity house, and Phi Sig brothers had been paying rent directly to the University. Reikofski said he decided to leave the house open last night, giving the brothers more time to get themselves together, and "to support them academically." The brothers may not sleep in the house tonight, and must move to their new residences at 4:30 p.m. today. But they will have until Thursday night to get all of their belongings out, at which point the house will be sealed. Phi Sig President Jon Brodsky said the punishment was excessive. "I think losing our charter was justified," the College sophomore said, referring to violations dating back to last year's Spring Fling. "I think locking us out of the house with 30 days left in the semester was unreasonable." The closing of the chapter resulted from a recent violation of the fraternity's Risk Management Policy, the second such violation within a 12-month period, according to the letter sent by Phi Sig's Grand President Jay Stanley from the Grand Chapter in Indianapolis. The first violation resulted from a party held over winter break, while the second referred to OFSA finding four kegs in the house on March 11. On April 3, two weeks after notification, OFSA reported the kegs were still in the house. On April 1, a student from a west coast Phi Sig chapter notified Michael Casey, the Grand Chapter's director of program development, that he found "offensive material" on the Penn chapter's Web page, according to Stanley's letter. "The graphic depictions on the chapter's home page reinforces public stereotypes of fraternity men as insensitive, obnoxious and immature," Stanley added in the letter. Neither Stanley nor the chapter's Executive Vice President Tom Recker could be reached last night. Reikofski -- who said he thought the suspension was justified -- indicated that the concerns of Grand Chapter, including the Penn chapter's "significant debt," ran deeper than these two recent incidents. "I think there were a good number of concerns," he said. "I don't think [Phi Sig] showed an indication that they were interested in following [the right] procedure." Reikofski added the decision recently became a matter of when to close the house, rather than whether to close it at all. Brodsky explained that in a meeting today with Reikofski and Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, his fraternity offered to pay for any further damages caused to the house if they would allow the brothers to stay for the rest of the semester. "They weren't receptive to that," he said. Because Phi Sig is no longer recognized by its fraternity, Reikofski explained, the University has the right to expel the residents with such short notice. This move is intended to prevent the brothers from having a chance to "tear up the house," he added. The decision to levy the suspension in the middle of the semester, rather than at the end of the school year, is pretty typical, Reikofski explained. Theta Xi, for instance, lost its Locust Walk house in November 1992 because of excessive damage and was also given one day's notice to leave the house, although the deadline was later extended. But Brodsky pointed out that Theta Xi was originally given 30 days notice and was set to leave their house in December, but proceeded to destroy the house soon after. Only then were the brothers forced to leave a day later. While there are no definite future plans for the house once it is sealed, Phi Sig alumni are in the process of deciding whether they want it to be renovated for a future recolonization. But regardless of when a new chapter recolonizes at Penn, none of the current undergraduate brothers will be permitted to rejoin the fraternity, although they will be placed on alumni status, according to Stanley. Phi Sig pledges will be permitted to join another fraternity if they so choose, Reikofski said.

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