The president of Sigma Chi has said his fraternity is trying to move forward and get past several years of trials.

Sigma Chi now seems like any other fraternity on campus. It has a strong brotherhood, a house and philanthropies.

But that was not the case just a few years ago.

Sigma Chi was suspended from campus in fall 2004 after a freshman pledge, Blake Adam Hammontree, was found dead in the fraternity’s house, the result of alcohol poisoning during a house party.

“Even though (Hammontree’s death) was five years ago, it seems like every new year people still hear and know about it,” said Sean McLaughlin, Sigma Chi president. “And we’re trying to change that perception.”

The fraternity was recolonized at OU in fall 2007. Such a quick return is almost unheard of for suspended fraternities, said Robert Williams, alumni supervisory committee chairman and former chapter adviser.

An early return

Suspended fraternities are typically off campus for a minimum of four years, Williams said.

OU approved Sigma Chi’s return to campus about a year ahead of what was originally planned, OU President David Boren said in an interview last week.

Sigma Chi’s national organization’s involvement and cooperation with OU aided in allowing the fraternity to return so soon, Boren said.

“But had their nationals not gotten that involved, had their nationals not worked in close partnership with us, and if they had declined to do a person by person, every single individual background check and interview, we would not have let them back on,” Boren said.

Each student who was a member of the fraternity at the time of Hammontree’s death was carefully evaluated, and the national organization did a chapter review that was conducted in partnership with alumni.

Only 13 members were involved with Sigma Chi’s recolonization. The members, McLaughlin said, pledged in 2004, were initiated in 2006 at Oklahoma State University and remained close during the fraternity’s three years away from OU.

“Once they’re back, recolonized, in essence, we regard them as having made a fresh start,” Boren said. “So they’ll be treated like everyone else.”

‘Darn sure’ some stayed away

Boren said the major perpetrators in Hammontree’s death were not involved in the recolonization.

“They weren’t back as members of that fraternity,” Boren said. “And some of them kind of grouped together in some of the apartments and so on around town, and some of the bad behavior continued.

“We made darn sure that those people were not part of the recolonization.”

To return to campus, the university required that Sigma Chi present a business plan for chapter operations and activities, as well as form an alumni supervisory committee composed of fraternity alumni who would oversee the chapter’s activities. The committee is still in place, Williams said.

Boren said much thought went into whether the university should allow Sigma Chi back on campus.

“We consulted with the Interfraternity Council, too, because, in many ways, some of the other fraternities, and I can see this, felt like, ‘Well, we’re under stricter rules today because they were irresponsible,’” Boren said.

The effect of time

The fraternity also returned on the condition of a one-strike policy, as opposed to the three strikes allowed for other greek organizations.

“One infraction can cost us the charter forever,” Williams said. “I’m very pleased 
to report that we have not had that strike. Young men like Sean have done an admirable job representing the values of Sigma Chi.”

McLaughlin, who pledged during Sigma Chi’s first semester back, said he and his pledge class learned a great deal from the 13 members who helped recolonize.

“Because we were trained and taught by the guys who came back, those 13 guys, we try to pass that along, that what we have is very special and we can lose it very quickly,” McLaughlin said.

The suspension has not affected the fraternity’s rush or kept potential new members from pledging, McLaughlin said.

“Pretty much everyone we wanted, we got them,” he said. “During recruitment, we have so much to offer.”

Tim Kuykendall, Cleveland County district attorney at the time of Hammontree’s death, said it has been just long enough that many OU students are not aware of what happened in 2004.

“The students that were there at the time have graduated and moved on, and new students coming in have never heard of Blake Hammontree,” Kuykendall said. “I think it had an impact at the time. I think it has less of an impact now because students have forgotten that drinking can lead to death.”

Alcohol precautions

Sigma Chi takes as much precaution as possible in terms of underage drinking, McLaughlin said.

“We really try very hard,” he said. “The culture of the campus currently can get out-of-hand sometimes, and especially during things like recruitment and game days.”

“But we really make a conscious effort to try to keep that stuff away from the house, and if we do have things off campus or with third-party vendors, they are very well-regulated and monitored, because we do understand that we are still under a microscope of criticism.”

Although OU has instituted a stricter alcohol policy since 2004, it is not enough to curtail underage drinking, said Michael Dunn, executive director of Sigma Chi International fraternity.

“It’s certainly an appropriate measure to take, but we don’t live in a bubble,” Dunn said. “I don’t think a fail-safe method has been invented yet. Does it take a tragedy like Blake’s to make us wake up and realize what’s going on here?”

Dunn said Sigma’s alcohol education program is also a step in the right direction, but that ultimately individuals must make their own decisions. He said it is unlikely there will ever be a permanent solution to the problem.

“For us, we know it’s a goal that may never be accomplished because as we get these young people through the underage part, there’s more underage people that are going to come through behind them,” Dunn said. “All we can do is be vigilant with the education process.”

Williams said if nothing else, the men of Sigma Chi learned something valuable from Hammontree’s death.

“We have learned,” he said. We have taken that and turned it into something positive. I think we have a fine group of quality young men that gained from that tragedy, that are more mature [and] more respectful of society.”

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