As the members of Delta Chi fraternity await word on the letter of appeal they submitted Monday, the president contemplates the reason why Student Development officials stated in a letter that they violated Select 2000 regulations.

In a Monday Daily Egyptian article, Delta Chi president Jay Curtis said the fraternity received a letter from Student Development citing Select 2000 violations stemming from its party at the Marion Hotel and Conference Center Feb. 13. The party involved alcohol.

In an article Friday, Katie Sermersheim, assistant director of Student Development, said Delta Chi fraternity had not violated Select 2000 regulations.

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All I can say is this has nothing to do with Select 2000, she said in the Friday article. These are things that would have happened under any situation. If Select 2000 weren’t here we would be in the same situation as we are involved in now.

But Sermersheim signed the letter sent to Delta Chi stating the fraternity had violated Select 2000 regulations among other University policies.

According to Rob Schiffbauer, vice president of Delta Chi, the first paragraph of the letter sent by Student Development officials to the fraternity stated, The men of Delta Chi have been found in violation of University, Select 2000 and Delta Chi risk management policies.

SIUC was one of four universities selected last year to pilot the Select 2000 program a program designed, among other things, to curtail risks associated with alcohol use in the greek system at colleges and universities across the nation.

One part of the nine-part Select 2000 initiative required all fraternity houses to become alcohol and substance-free by fall 1998. Alcohol always has been prohibited in sorority houses.

Since last fall, fraternities and sororities have not been able to sponsor social events with alcohol at their chapter houses or other fraternity or sorority buildings. Fraternity members of legal age can drink in their rooms until the next phase of Select 2000 is implemented in August. In addition to other expectations, each chapter must sponsor or co-sponsor at least one alcohol-free social per semester.

Organizations that do not meet Select 2000 regulations could face penalties that include probation, loss of social privileges, loss of participation in University-sponsored activities, suspension or as in Delta Chi’s case revocation of recognition by the University as a Registered Student Organization. The chapter’s RSO status has been revoked through the end of spring 2002.

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The fraternity had been on probation since last semester for an alcohol violation after an associate member wearing a Delta Chi pledge pin who chapter members say had not attended a Delta Chi function beforehand was found intoxicated in a residence hall hallway. Curtis said they were placed on probation and were not to have any social events involving alcohol.

Curtis said Delta Chi received the letter from Student Development officials March 16 more than a month after the fraternity’s Feb. 13 Valentine’s Day formal. He said the fraternity violated probation by obtaining alcohol through a contract with the Marion Hotel and Conference Center.

Curtis sees nothing wrong with having the party in spite of the terms of the fraternity’s probation and he does not know how Student Development officials found out about the party.

That’s a good question, he said. [Student Development] call around the greek system and hound all of them. We got drunk on our own at the bar.

Schiffbauer admits the fraternity’s actions were not in its best interests, but he also does not agree with the action taken by Student Development.

We are not saying we didn’t do anything wrong, he said. It’s just the harshness of the penalty that is given to us.

Delta Chi expects a response from Student Development today or Friday.