Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Information on Delta Gamma

On December 19th, the Delta Gamma National Office informed the women in the chapter that the organization was being provided with a 60 day notice of intent to consider the matter of suspending the chapter's charter. What this means is that, in 60 days the chapter's national council will vote to cease recognition at Lehigh. Per the National Office, the Lehigh chapter "has been on some sort of status with the Fraternity since Fall 2005, and in poor standing since March 2011. The chapter has been on 5 statuses with Lehigh University since February 2009." Essentially, the National made the determination that the current culture of the chapter could not be reversed.

Chapter members still present on campus were informed in person that evening by the Delta Gamma National Office, and all members received correspondence from both Delta Gamma and Lehigh regarding the situation.  During the 60 day notice of intent, Delta Gamma may not participate in any chapter or community-wide activities, including Panhellenic Recruitment. This includes all educational, social and community service activities. Chapter members may also not participate in Panhellenic Council or any other activities representing Delta Gamma.

As a fraternity and sorority community, this is never easy news. Over the next few weeks and into the spring semester, my hope is that we as a community support the individual women in the chapter, while understanding the antecedents that led to the decision made by the National Office. OFSA staff will be meeting with the women of the chapter upon their return to campus to further discuss this. Please understand that during this time, no activities on or off-campus should be considered with Delta Gamma. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to OFSA staff at x84157 or Panhellenic President Laura Belair at llb213@lehigh.edu.

-Tim Wilkinson, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs