Updated 2/8/12 midnight:
In a press release sent to NBN and the Daily Northwestern Tuesday night by A.J. Tomiak, Director of Public Relations for Northwestern’s Interfraternity Council, wrote that he was “sad to see that Chi Psi National Headquarters has decided to close their Epsilon Delta chapter.”
The release continued:
"The Northwestern Interfraternity Council prides itself on building a community that fosters maturity and leadership in the face of brotherhood. Our goal on this campus is to enrich the lives of Northwestern men so that they contribute to their own chapter, the rest of the Greek community, and the larger Northwestern community. Unfortunately, the series of choices this chapter has made has been incongruous with the ideals and goals put forth by IFC and by the greater Chi Psi National Headquarters. This is what ultimately led to Chi Psi Nationals taking the necessary steps to close this chapter. Above all, it is disappointing to realize that a chapter we supported at Northwestern was not a place where such fraternal ideals could be facilitated."
According to Chi Psi’s website, Northwestern’s chapter, the Epsilon Delta chapter, was founded in 1892. It had been active since 1947.
As of writing, former leaders of Northwestern’s Chi Psi chapter have not responded to NBN’s requests. Northwestern Greek life administrators have also not responded.
There should be an update from representatives of Chi Psi’s national organization tomorrow morning.
Original post:
The fraternity Chi Psi, better known as “Lodge,” will cease operations at Northwestern immediately, its national Executive Council announced today.
At 6:54 p.m., NBN was sent the following press release by Brad Beskin, the fraternity’s assistant executive director:
The national governing body of Chi Psi Fraternity has voted to close its chapter at Northwestern University immediately. All chapter operations have ceased. Undergraduate members at Northwestern University are now considered Fraternity alumni. Pledge class members have been released from their affiliation with the Fraternity.
Chi Psi’s national Executive Council cited an undergraduate experience incongruent with Fraternity values as its primary motivation behind this decision. Advisors and Central Office staff members have made several attempts to realign the chapter’s experience with its core values without success.
Chi Psi representatives plan to work with Northwestern University administrators and student leaders to develop a plan to return to campus in the future. “When we return, Chi Psi at Northwestern will be a complimentary component of the University’s fraternity system and student life,” said Chi Psi’s Executive Director Sam Bessey. “It will be an organization aligned with Chi Psi values and the mission of Northwestern University. ‘Lodge’, as students are familiar with it today, is over. That experience will not be replicated.”
This story will be updated throughout the night.
Corrected Feb. 10, 2012: An earlier version of this article might have made it seem like an Interfraternity Council press release was from A.J. Tomiak; it was in fact a press release from the entire organization. The article is also updated to reflect Tomiak’s title: He is not just a “spokesman,” as previously stated, but IFC Director of Public Relations.
