How to Get Your Fraternity Off Suspension

In the fall of 2017 I pledged at Ole Miss and we got kicked off campus because our nationals suspended pledgeship. My pledge class never got initiated and we want our fraternity back. What are some ways we can get the fraternity off suspension? 

 Answer:

This is a tough one.  I don’t want to be pessimistic, but the chances are extremely unlikely that you will see your fraternity on campus again as an undergrad.

It is pretty standard how these things play out. Your nationals probably worked out an agreement with the university that the fraternity would be welcomed back after an agreed upon number of years.  Typically, this date will be after all current members should have graduated.

The reason that the reinstatement will take place after all current members graduate should be obvious, but I will explain in case it isn’t.  The chapter did something pretty serious if they got kicked off campus.  That signifies a significant culture and organizational issue.  The university deemed the issue so significant that they want the problem completely exterminated.  The only way to ensure that the problem culture doesn’t come back is to make sure that the current membership doesn’t come back.

And while it is easy to see the university as the bad guy here, this is absolutely a joint decision with your nationals and the school.  Your nationals is responsible for safe-guarding the longevity of your fraternity.  Your chapter did not meet the standards required to operate, so nationals will wait to re-establish the chapter with men that will.

All this leaves your situation.  If you weren’t initiated, then you are able to join another fraternity on campus.  If you do so, hopefully you will have learned some lessons from your last experience. If you were initiated, you should be able to get your full release from your nationals.  Then you can join another fraternity.

Finally, learn from this experience.  I have no idea what led to your fraternity getting kicked off campus.  However, those decisions are not taken lightly.  Since you were a new member, you were probably guilty by association.  That is a tough break, but a good life lesson.

This question was submitted by one of our readers. If you have a question you want me to answer go here to submit it: Fraternity Advice.

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