Nearly a week after Ball State’s Theta Chi charter was revoked, a letter sent to Delta Kappa current members and alumni gives more detail into the revocation of the charter and the chapter’s future.
The two-page letter obtained by The Daily News was originally sent by the Theta Chi International Headquarters on Oct. 2 to provide awareness of the charter revocation.
According to the letter, the Grand Chapter revoked the Ball State chapter’s charter on Sept. 30, and the fraternity will be absent from Ball State’s campus for at least the next three years.
The letter said over the past several years, the chapter has violated multiple risk management policies including “alcohol policy violations, hazing, and other deviations from the expectations of Theta Chi Fraternity and Ball State University.”
While the national chapter had probations and plans to help reform the Ball State chapter, violations continued, the letter said, including pending litigation in which the Delta Kappa chapter is named as a defendant.
Thom Cook, Theta Chi vice president from 1982-83, graduated from Ball State in 1983 with a degree in telecommunications. As a student, Cook was involved with the chapter for a year and a half, but said he continued to be involved with the chapter and organization as an alumnus.
“Everyone who was in a fraternity or is in a fraternity always seem to say the same thing. It was the best decision they made,” Cook said. “It was the best years of their lives, and I am one of those people. I don’t ever regret joining. I don’t regret pledging.”
Cook currently lives in Los Angeles, but said he has been active within the chapter as an alumnus for years by donating money, helping develop web pages, attending meetings and events and serving as the secretary of the Ball State Theta Chi Alumni Corporation from 2012-14.
Cook said he heard about the revocation of the chapter’s charter Monday night after receiving a text message from one of his pledge brothers.
“I read it and I was shocked, but I was not surprised,” Cook said.
Cook said he was told through numerous brothers and alumni over the years that the chapter was deteriorating, something Cook said could be blamed on the sudden rise in membership.
According to reports from Ball State’s Office of Greek Life, Theta Chi’s membership number increased over 200 percent between fall 2012 and spring 2018.
“What goes on behind those walls, no one should be surprised, and I wasn’t,” Cook said.
Cook said, in his opinion, his chapter lost its way and didn’t know what it stood for anymore. He said these members in the past few years did not understand what it meant to be in a fraternity or to serve the community and its philanthropy.
He also said he blames the alumni board with these issues since the board should have been more on top of conflicts and situations happening within the chapter.
“I firmly believe that the downfall of my chapter came about because of the lack of involvement and the lack of initiative on the alumni corporation,” Cook said. “These men don’t understand the time commitment that it takes to be involved in an organization.”
The letter referenced an unregistered social event during the beginning of the school year where alcohol was provided to minors as one of the reasons the charter was revoked. Additionally, Ball State’s student conduct office charged the chapter with violation of the school’s Title IX policy.
It is these actions, the letter states, that caused Ball State administrations to reach out to the national chapter to state its intentions to revoke recognition of the chapter from campus.
When the national chapter heard of Ball State’s intentions, it offered to conduct a membership review as an alternative to removing the chapter, but Ball State administrators refused. After the International Fraternity entered negotiations with Ball State, it was decided the national chapter would revoke its charter for three years and would attempt to recolonize in the fall of 2021.
However, according to Theta Chi bylaws, the Grand Chapter can re-install any inactive chapter at any time by a three-fourths vote. The Grand Chapter can follow any procedures or conditions regarding the petition of the reinstallation of the inactive chapter as if it were a new chapter seeking a charter.
When asked about the two-page letter saying the university communicated intentions to revoke recognition of the chapter, marketing and communications vice president Kathy Wolf said International Headquarters made the decision and the university followed suit.
When asked about the future of the Theta Chi house, Marc Ransford, senior communications strategist, said the house is owned by the Theta Chi organization and that no more information would be provided.
Scott Thomas, president of the Ball State Theta Chi Alumni Corporation and owner of the facility, said the corporation is currently looking to sublease house to another group and it will continue to own and maintain the property.
Thomas said their intent is to save the house for future recolonization of Theta Chi at Ball State. He said the corporation has no plans to sell the house.
The Daily News reached out to three different people associated with the Theta Chi International Headquarters through email and phone calls, however, no one responded. Additionally, emails and messages were sent to former Theta Chi president Gage Carroll with no response.
Contact Andrew Harp with comments at adharp@bsu.edu or on Twitter @adharp24.
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