South Carolina Gamma Alumni Association

Dear Fellow Brothers of SC Gamma,

 

I hope this message finds you and your families in good health and enjoying 2025 so far. Even though we are all separated by distance, I'd like to take this opportunity to update you on the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in with the active chapter. I wish I had better news to share with you, but please allow me to explain...

 

In September of 2024, I received notification from the Office of Community Ethics and Standards (OCES), of the Student Affairs Department at Clemson University, that the SC Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta was placed on interim suspension pending investigation of violations of the university's student conduct code. These alleged violations were related to the chapter's new member education process. This investigation lasted over four months and involved countless hours of interviews of both active and new members with members of the Chapter Advisory Board present for each one.

 

Multiple members of the Chapter Advisory Board and Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters were heavily involved and invested numerous hours into this entire process. Unfortunately at the end of the investigation, OCES concluded that through the new member education process, the active members of the SC Gamma chapter were guilty of violating multiple sections of the student conduct code.

 

The standard disciplinary action for these violations is loss of recognition for five years by the university (being removed from campus) and the revoking of the chapter's charter by GHQ. Emily Wolfzorn and Jesse Moyer from Phi Delta Theta GHQ advocated on behalf of SC Gamma for an alternative punishment in effort to avoid loss of recognition and the charter being revoked. The good news is that OCES at Clemson decided NOT to officially remove the Phi Delta Theta chapter from campus and GHQ has NOT revoked our charter.

 

The bad news is that unfortunately the only conditions that OCES would except in lieu of a five year suspension was the following items to which Phi Delta Theta GHQ agreed:

1. SC Gamma is placed on disciplinary probation from January 13, 2025 until January 1, 2027.

2. SC Gamma may not participate in the University's New Member Education Process until January 2026.

3. The membership of ALL active undergraduate members of SC Gamma has been suspended until graduation.

 

The severity of this punishment came as a surprise to both members of the Chapter Advisory Board and our colleagues at GHQ. And informing almost one hundred undergraduate brothers that, until their graduation, they are no longer active members of SC Gamma was an extremely difficult task. The twenty-two pledges were offered the opportunity to continue the chapter as fully initiated members and some gave serious consideration to that path. However, upon learning that they would not be able to recruit new members until January 2026 and would not be able to participate in official social functions, they each decided to move in a different direction.

 

This turn of events leaves us in the following position as alumni: The SC Gamma chapter still exists, our charter is in escrow (NOT revoked), but we currently have zero active members. GHQ will be working with the Chapter Advisory Board and other key alumni to begin efforts to rebuild the chapter for official reintroduction to the Clemson University campus in January 2026. And we will need the support of the alumni now more than ever to begin the rebuilding effort of SC Gamma as next January will be here before we know it.

 

I wish I had better news. And I apologize for the delay in communicating this to you. Unfortunately there have been quite a few moving parts in this situation. The last six months have been very challenging for everyone involved and I am personally glad to have this situation in the rear view mirror. And now that we can finally move forward, I am grateful for the existence of the SC Gamma Alumni Association along with the nearly one thousand alumni in our ranks.

 

Rebuilding the chapter will not be easy and will require a total team effort. If you have a desire to see the next version of the SC Gamma chapter succeed and would like to play role in helping us rebuild, please reach out to myself, Jeff Mackin, or any board member of the SC Gamma Alumni Association. 

 

Thank you for your continued support of the SC Gamma Chapter and the SC Gamma Alumni Association.

 

Yours In The Bond,

Doug Brown

'626'

Chapter Advisor

 

For additional information, please reference the following Notice of Suspension Letter from Phi Delta Theta GHQ: