Phi mu vp explains chapter suspension

By Online Editor

I am writing in regards to the recent article publish in the Griffon News entitled Phi Mu suspended by nationals due to low membership written by Dave Hon. As the most recent Vice President/Treasurer of Phi Mu Zeta Pi I find the recent article very disconcerting and am astonished that in writing such a piece an officer of the chapter was not contacted to verify information. As you well know there are two sides to every issue and I find it in bad taste to only report one perspective without even attempting to give the other side a voice. You will find attached a copy of the minutes from the first meeting in which Mr. Hon alludes to as a conspiracy meeting. It is simply not true. Below is an excerpt of a variation of a letter(s) generated to the Pan-Hellenic Faculty Advisor, CSE, and President Vartabedian.

“August 1, 2009 by a 3-1 vote of members present and in good academic and financial standing in accordance to Phi Mu National Constitution and Bylaws Phi Mu Zeta Pi will not be returning to campus pending National Council approval.

You will undoubtedly hear that things were unfair and I can assure you they were not. First, this meeting was scheduled more then 3 months ago and the issue at hand was tabled at our July meeting giving the members 3 weeks to make arrangements to be there. These summer meetings are a requirement from nationals and a $50 fine is imposed for not attending.

Therefore any who were not in attendance cannot say it was unfair.

Second, those who were not in academic or financial good standing were not allowed a vote; again this is clearly stated in the constitution and bylaws of our fraternity. Members have had the opportunity to pay their bill since January 1, 2009 therefore those who had not done so as of 10:00 am Saturday August 1, 2009 were not allowed to vote. Members that are not in good academic standing have been put on academic probation through MWSU and again in accordance to our constitution and bylaws do not get a vote and are on probation within the organization. Third, I would like to point out that our calendar of meetings and our constitution and bylaws are publically posted so anyone claiming unfairness is doing so because they do not like the decision made because it does not agree with their opinion.

I understand that to do things their own way but the decision was made democratically. I would like to inform you that we do have the complete support of our National Council and any attempt to tell you otherwise is wrong. If you have any questions concerning the validity of this letter please contact Robin Fanning, Phi Mu National President at np@phimu.org.

This decision was not an easy one to make. Zeta Pi has been struggling to meet national requirements for quite some time now. We are the lowest ranked chapter within Phi Mu Fraternity. You will hear that the 3 that voted to voluntarily close are selfish and too lazy to do the work and that is simply not true. We, along with other members not present are all in agreement that it is not fair to bring new members into a struggling organization. These women are seeking a positive Greek life experience and we can not give them that. I have spoken with the Pan-Hellenic President and voiced our eagerness and willingness to promote Greek life on campus with her as well. We are willing to do whatever it takes for the advancement of Greek life but also realize that Zeta Pi is not beneficial to Greek life on campus at this juncture.”

There were individuals that were unhappy with the results of the vote and petitioned to the National Council claiming we were 1 member short of a technical quorum. This was not true, there were enough members present at the meeting however, two of them were not in good standing and were not allowed to vote. There ability to vote was irrelevant to quorum it was their presence alone that qualified as quorum. Robin Fanning, National President of Phi Mu Fraternity called a special meeting of the National Council. This meeting was NOT to discuss the validity of the vote asking to voluntarily shut down; the vote had already been accepted. The intention of the Council was to asses the future of our chapter. You see we voted to ASK to be voluntarily shut down. Just because we ask does not mean Nationals will allow it, the National Council must vote on whether or not to suspend the chapter. That was the intention of the council meeting.

Shortly after the council meeting two representatives came to Western to meet with the chapter in order to deliver the decision of the National Council. This decision was based on many factors; membership total, financial stability, and the ability to meet national requirements. After assessing the past several years the council decided that the best thing for the chapter was to suspend the charter.

In delivering the decision the representatives also notified the chapter that we had 30 days to appeal the decision of the National Council. In order to appeal the chapter would one, need quorum of all active members and two, need a majority vote of active members in good financial and academic standing in accordance with the national constitution and by laws of Phi Mu Fraternity. The chapter decided to vote on whether or not to appeal the National Council’s decision. At this meeting 9 of the 11 members were present qualifying quorum; the two members that were not present were not in good financial standing and would not have been allowed a vote. One member present did not vote because she was granted ICMS status meaning she was inactive for the semester. A silent vote, counted by the National Representatives resulted in a majority vote (5:3) NOT to appeal the National Council’s decision. It is understandable that Alumni and Active members alike will be upset.

Being one of the individuals who voted to ask for voluntary shut down and not to appeal I can assure you that this was not an easy decision. It is very easy to make an emotional decision, it is not so easy to make a more logical decision when you KNOW that it will hurt people you care about and lead to massive repercussions. I know that the decision has upset many Alumni but I truly feel given the state of the chapter it was truly what was best for the chapter at this time. This decision has led to many immatthat feel that the decision was in the best interest of the chapter.

That is our burden to deal with and I feel that we are maintaining an advance level of maturity while being referred to as such names as the Anti-Christ’s. The last thing that we need is the Griffon News condoning and encouraging such behavior.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this issue. However, that does not mean that the issue should not be presented fairly and accurately. On behalf of the MAJORITY of the members of Phi Mu Zeta Pi I am asking for a correction statement in the next issue of Griffon News.

I wish that I could generate the letter given to us by Nationals for publication but it was specifically stated that the letter was not for publication. However, if you would like to contact Colleen Kowich, Pan-Hellenic Advisor, the National Representative presented her with a letter from Phi Mu National Fraternity as well. This letter is NOT for publication either but you may use it to verify that it WAS in fact the decision of the national council.

Sincerely,
Kerri Rollins