Sigma Chi shuttered

nyredhawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:18 pm Post subject: Sigma Chi shuttered

Don't know how the rest of you feel, but I was not unhappy Sigma Chi voted itself closed. I was at Miami from 1974-78 and went to check it out as a freshman but when they realized I was Jewish, they walked me out the door and pointed me to the Sammy house.

I had some friends that pledges there and remained friends but would never go inside the house. When we took my daughter to see Miami in the spring of 2009 to see if Miami was a fit for her - she chose Northwestern - she marveled at the Sigma Chi architecture when we parked by Millett but all I did was cringe. Back then they were not the only Greeks that eschewed Jews and African-Americans. Beta Theta Pi and Phi Delta Theta did as well. A sad commentary on the times and I hope if they are allowed back they are inclusive and not filled with narrow-minded bigots and racists. I still love Miami and wanted my daughter to go, but not all my memories are positive.
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redhawks628 · Wealthy Alum Joined: 09 Dec 2009 Posts: 1508

Yay for the further devaluation of all young alumni's degrees in the greater Cincinnati area!

AORedhawk33 · Wealthy Alum Joined: 30 Oct 2010 Posts: 944

These guys were total meatheads.. not surprised at all

Only a matter of time before they do away with all frats and sororities at Miami
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thechuck_2112 · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:48 pm Post subject:

It's not the 1970s any more, by a long shot. Fraternity culture has changed as youth culture has changed. When I was at Miami, the Greek system was open to members of all races and creeds (although fraternities with traditional ties to ethnic or religious groups often attracted other members of those groups due to self-selection). I don't recall hearing of any people being shut out because of the color of their skin or who they did (or didn't) pray to. Sexual orientation was a different story, but a number of houses were open to people who weren't heterosexual.

But there are some things that, it seems, don't really change. Here's what finally got the national to pull the charter:

redskins4ever · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:49 pm Post subject:

kamuohio · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:50 pm Post subject:

They have always been an unfortunate black eye for the greek community. Not going to miss them at all.

As for doing away with the greek system I don't see that happening (at least I hope not). The greek experience was an essential part of my time at Miami and I am proud to have been part of a fantastic house with high moral values.
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thechuck_2112 · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:53 pm Post subject:

Miami won't do away with fraternities because Miami can't really do away with fraternities. Only the national can. If Beta wants to have a chapter at the corner of High and Campus in a house they own, who's going to stop them? Is Miami going to expel people who belong to it? (Sororities are a slightly different story given Miami's weird circumstances, but that could probably be handled easily enough.)
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JWags · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:54 pm Post subject:

HoosierHawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject:

I refereed/umpired for intramurals for 3 years, which meant I saw a lot of each frat. Only one or two houses with major culture problems. This house was one of them.

My dad was a sigma chi chapter president (not at Miami) and I knew from almost the moment I stepped on campus I wanted nothing to do with that house.

nyredhawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:11 pm Post subject:

I will assume none of you belong to a Miami minority. If you did, your responses MIGHT reflect that. Imagine being called a kike playing softball or when we played them in other sports, knowing if you fought back there were much more of them than there were of you.

Me? I responded as I did growing up here in New York.....So, yes, I am glad they have been shamed. You guys have no experience as an outsder.
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killgas20 · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:17 pm Post subject:

Another Alpha chapter at Miami being disbanded. I remember when this happened to the Betas while I was at Miami.

Some thoughts/questions:

-- 35 current members seems a bit low for membership. What is the average for a fraternity at Miami? Also, 22 of them were sophomores. I assume this chapter was having issues retaining members? If 30% were given alumni status in January, that would mean 50 total? Still seems a bit low.

-- Police stationed in the house for 65 straight hours? Holy Moley!

-- What is alumni status? How do fraternities have alumni parties if alumni status means you cannot interact with the active chapter in any way?

I was not in a fraternity at Miami, but everyone I knew that was in one never treated me any different.
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HoosierHawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject:

nyredhawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:22 pm Post subject:

That's good news - thanks for sharing it.
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kamuohio · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:25 pm Post subject:

laxmom · Wealthy Alum Joined: 01 Feb 2006 Posts: 3966

Fred Sofen · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:38 pm Post subject:

When I rushed, I got along very well with almost every member. However, I recall (at least) one member was going to blackball me because I am Jewish. I had created enough of a bond with several important members of the house (my Big Brother was chapter pres) and the one "brother" in particular was essentially shamed into not giving me a blackball. Part of his problem was he had never met a Jew (this is in 1969-70.) I never had any propblem with the guys, except a little harmless ribbing at times (as in one of my pledge brothers, now one of my closest friends for 40+ years) referred to my car as the "Yom Kippur Clipper." I took it in jest because of our relationship.
As for Sig's, I had been told that they were "restricted" and never set foot in their house--nor did I have any Sigma Chi friends, now that I think about it.

nyredhawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:44 pm Post subject:

I graduated in 1978 and am glad Fred you were well treated, excepy for the ribbing you took. Might have been a joke, but if you had made a joke about the pope or something about Sigma Chi members looking like college versions of klansmen you'd have gotten your ass kicked. Plain and simple.
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MiamiMAC · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:46 pm Post subject:

nyredhawk · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:54 pm Post subject:

When I was a freshman we played the Phi Delts in softball and their catcher called our pitcher a whining kike. When I batted next and came home on a single I knocked the catcher over, picked up a bat and stuck it in his face and said if anyone from his house made another anti-semitic comment I would find them and teach them a valuable lesson in tolerance. I wrote a letter to the Student outlining what happened and went uptown one night with an African American friend, who was 6'7" and had the same chat with the president of the house. He apologized. I said something not too nice and walked away. The 1970s in Oxford were both wonderful and dreadful.

I still love Miami and hope one day to retire in Oxford.
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Hawkburgh · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:59 pm Post subject:

I am 4Hawks · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:42 pm Post subject:

Sounds like they were given every chance to get their act together and just couldn't/wouldn't do it. Hopefully a four-five year break will let the idiocy die off and they can give it another try.
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Miami, (Oh)-Yeah ! · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:27 am Post subject:

Weren't they shut-down for a year or two in the 90's too?

I remember the newspaper title:

"Say Good-bye to Sigma Chi"
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nyredhawk · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:03 am Post subject:

Hawkburgh,

I am curious which fraternity you belonged to that had such terrific diversity. Care to share?

I myself became a Sammy because it was easiest given the Greek temperature at the time. When we had pledges go through I would vote for whomever I liked without worrying whether they were Jewish. By my senior year the Sammy house was fairlt diverse. A few years ago we closed down the house because the brothers mistreated the physical house and because they became an embarrassment. After a few years, the house recolonized and from what I understand the miscreant quotiont has been brought down to near zero.

I hope the same for Sigma Chi, but at the same time I do revel in their woes because of a despicable past.
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mollautt · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:17 am Post subject:

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