Busy summer for Greeks, as three chapters are disbanded

The number of fraternities and sororities on campus dropped over the summer as three organizations vacated their houses. The Delta Tau Delta fraternity has given up its charter, but is already seeking to recolonize on campus in the near future. The Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, while still in existence, has been rendered inoperative as an organization by the University. And it is unclear whether the Pi Beta Phi sorority will remain an active chapter on campus. The DTD brothers announced that they were leaving campus last spring due to low membership. At the time, DTD National Assistant Director Garth Eberhart explained that the chapter's disbanding was "purely a membership issue." He noted that the chapter had only 21 brothers, insufficient to justify the upkeep of its large 39th Street house. Inter Fraternity Council President and College senior Andrew Mandelbaum said the chapter will seek recertification from its national office. "DTD will recolonize in the 2001-2002 academic year," he said. SAM violated the terms of an existing agreement with the University by serving alcohol at a rush event held on January 21, 2000. In the spring of 1999, an agreement was reached permitting the chapter to reorganize with new members after the brothers were caught by police traveling with kegs and stolen equipment from a bowling alley on a rush trip in New Jersey. After SAM broke the deal, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs issued a statement in February reporting that SAM was prohibited from taking part in activities using its name, Greek letters or insignia, and from "otherwise functioning as a chapter." If it abides by these conditions, SAM will be permitted to recolonize in the spring. SAM President and Wharton junior Jared Hendricks was unavailable to comment on the status of the fraternity. Mandelbaum said he believed the prospects for the group's return to active status on campus were good. "We look forward to working with them to apply for recertification." The status of the Pi Phi sorority was ambiguous for most of last semester. Membership in the group had declined to only 35 sisters last February, when the chapter's executive board announced that it would not be accepting a pledge class and had given up its house. At that time, a representative of the national organization suggested that the chapter would likely vote to disband at the end of last semester. Whether the sorority has disbanded or not is unclear. Chapter President Emily Seroska and Michele Tereschuk, chapter representative to the Panhellenic Council, both College juniors, could not be reached for comment. The chapter is no longer listed as an active one on the national organization's Web site

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.