It has come to the attention of the Interfraternity Council that there may be some confusion throughout campus about which fraternities are recognized, which ones are not – and what all of that means. With all the buzz about two new fraternities (Sigma Chi and Kappa Alpha Order) being invited back to campus, it is inevitably difficult to keep track of it all.
The Interfraternity Council is the student-run governing body of the 12 officially recognized fraternities here at GW. These fraternities are held to the highest standards and backed by the University and their respective national organizations. They alter the lives of the men who join them through positive and constructive means and are restricted from carrying out acts of hazing set down by GW and IFC policy.
The confusion occurs when some students choose to engage in continuing formerly recognized fraternities under the guise of future recognition and equal standards. The truth is that these clubs repeatedly violated the IFC constitution and will not be recognized by GW or the IFC in the immediate future. Their names are Alpha Pi Epsilon (or “APES”), Sigma Alpha Mu (or “SAMMY”) and Sigma Alpha Epsilon (“SAE”).
The IFC and GW have received numerous complaints from former associates of these clubs who report being abused in hazing rituals and then being threatened not to tell anyone about it. These groups are not recognized GW fraternities, and anyone’s assertion to the contrary is incorrect. These groups attempt to disguise their very concerning behavior by putting on charitable acts and seemingly impressive events.
IFC-recognized fraternities build men, while the history of these groups have shown that they break their members down and drag the good names of real fraternities through the mud. IFC fraternities are the only ones on campus that socialize with sororities, participate in Greek-letter events and have a beneficial relationship with the University. Recognized fraternities break negative stereotypes through their outstanding members and constructive deeds.
The Interfraternity Council unanimously condemns these groups, urges them to follow the policies of the IFC constitution and GW, and hopes that they will make the necessary reforms in order to amend their relationships with the IFC, GW and the rest of the community.
-The writer, a sophomore majoring in international affairs, is the vice president for public relations for the Interfraternity Council.
