UPDATE SAE’s presentation to comittee below:
The University of Central Florida is expanding its fraternity system, and two out of the four finalists hoping to come to UCF were kicked off campus following hazing allegations.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the fraternity that used to own the house currently leased by Theta Chi, and Pi Kappa Phi, which had a house in Off Campus Greek Park, both are hoping to make their return to UCF after having been gone since the 2006-2007 academic year.
They are competing against Kappa Alpha Order and Chi Phi, fraternities who have not been at UCF in recent history, but are hoping to expand. KnightNews.com has learned only two of the four finalists are expected to get invited to colonize at UCF, the first would start in Spring 2013 and the other would start Spring 2014.
The expansion effort comes during an apparent unprecedented decline in recruitment numbers. Fraternities have declined to promptly report numbers to UCF’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, according to that office. Before this year’s downturn, pledge numbers used to be reported immediately after rush.
“Only about 1/3 of the fraternities have turned in their numbers,” an OFSL spokesperson told KnightNews.com last month, in response to KnightNews.com’s annual request for that information. The numbers were not expected until December, although there was a chance they could be produced earlier, according to OFSL.
The information coming from OFSL saying very few fraternities turned in their numbers seemed to conflict with information KnightNews.com saw posted on OFSL announcements, but the OFSL spokesperson hasn’t yet responded to an email sent 13 days ago from KnightNews.com pointing that out. When KnightNews.com gets the numbers or a more complete explanation from OFSL about how it’s been unable to track numbers as it did in the past, we’ll post the update.
The fraternities hoping to colonize at UCF need to give a presentation to a UCF committee. On Nov. 1 Pi Kapp and Chi Phi gave their presentation. Tonight, Nov. 4, SAE and KA will give their presentations in the Kappa Alpha Theta house at 6 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, according to an email sent out by OFSL.
KnightNews.com will let you know which fraternities are selected to come to UCF and take a more in depth look at SAE and Pi Kapp, and the impact their departure from UCF had on the Greek Community. Check back for updates on this developing story.
