Kappa Sig awaits appeal decision

As members of the Beta Beta chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity wait to hear the outcome of their appeals process, the chapter's president, junior Kevin Carney, confirmed in an email that he was expelled from the fraternity by Kappa Sigma Nationals.

The reason for his expulsion has not yet been confirmed. The Supreme Executive Committee (SEC) of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity decided to have a conversation with university officials about whether the chapter's charter could be restored and recognized again by the university, said Carney, the former president of the chapter. Carney was interviewed before he received notice that he had been expelled from Kappa Sigma.

The fraternity was waiting for correspondence from the university about a time for the conversation, said Mitchell Wilson, executive director for the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

"The final decision will be our decision on what occurs," Wilson said. "We're just asking some questions and discussing options ... so we're being thorough about this and making sure that we're fair."

Wilson gave no specifics about why the fraternity decided the conversation with the university would be a factor in deciding the outcome of the appeal. He presented no time frame in which the decision would be made, but said he thought it would take place fairly soon.

The Beta Beta chapter's charter was removed in December 2012 on a charge of unbecoming conduct of members of the fraternity, which allowed the fraternity a broad spectrum of how it could judge the ruling, Carney said. The chapter had 30 days to respond to the charge and submit a written appeal. The written appeal allowed the chapter to address the charges and was first read by the SEC, which acts as the fraternity's board of directors. Then the Beta Beta chapter members sent senior Ryan Ethington as a representative to speak before the Committee, Carney said.

In December, the chapter contacted student organization leaders at the university to enlist support for the chapter to return to campus, Carney said. Organization leaders were asked to sign a simple statement saying they opposed the decision to remove the chapter. And the Beta Beta chapter presented SEC with about 30 signatures from student organizations and all of the university-recognized fraternities, he said.

"You do the very best you can with a bad situation," Carney said, "and at least we knew we had the opportunity to make an appeal to express our case to the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and when given the opportunity, it seemed that they responded positively."

The Beta Beta chapter was not allowed a pledge process this January, Carney said, as the charter was still revoked. After the senior class departs in the spring, the chapter will have about 56 remaining brothers if its charter is restored, he said.

Contact staff writer Rebecca Wilson at rebecca.wilson@richmond.edu