Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity has a big reason to celebrate.Saturday, the Oklahoma Kappa chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon will return to campus after a six-year absence. The fraternity was suspended for two years in 1989."I'm eager for all these guys to get initiated," said Jeff Nash, OU chapter president. "It will make everyone tighter and sum up a lot of things that they've worked for."The national fraternity in Evanston, Ill., revoked Sigma Alpha Epsilon's charter on Nov. 8, 1989, following allegations of physical and mental harassment, alcohol misconduct and violation of state laws.Nash said the events of 1989 should have no effect on future pledge classes."We want to continue all the positive things that came before the last six years," he said. "Everyone is more aware of the negative effects hazing has."To get the charter back, an interest group formed in the spring of 1992. The national fraternity recognized the group as a colony in the fall of 1993. The colony, which does not have a charter, moved into a house at 601 Cruce St.Members will move into the former Sigma Alpha Epsilon house at 730 College Ave. Jan. 10. The house is the second-largest in the nation.Reid Wilkes, Sigma Alpha Epsilon public relations chairman, said it's unusual for any colony to have a house."We have had the highest rankings of alumni support of all SAE chapters nationally," Wilkes said. "This is an incredibly significant event in the fraternity's history."The weekend's celebration begins Friday night when alumni will reunite at the Waterford Restaurant and Lounge in Oklahoma City.Saturday at 9 a.m., all members except this fall's pledge class will be formally initiated at St. John's Episcopal Church in Norman. Later Saturday afternoon, Sigma Alpha Epsilon alumni will compete in a golf tournament.Ben Allen, eminent supreme archon, and James Pope, eminent supreme deputy archon of the national fraternity supreme council, will present the charter.Saturday night, the fraternity will celebrate with dinner and a dance at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.Joseph Walt, historian of the national fraternity, will reveal the meaning of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon ritual. Walt is the author of the original pledge manual written in the '20s.Andy Longo, Fraternity Affairs adviser, said the fraternity has worked hard since 1992 to reinstall the charter."They came here in the fall of '92, and they were struggling," Longo said. "There were a lot of bumps in the road, but they persevered."Longo said he's not worried about reoccurring events."The national fraternity mood has changed," Longo said. "If stuff like that creeps back in, which I don't think it will, there will be a much swifter response to deal with it."Ben Andrews, Sigma Alpha Epsilon chaplain and song chairman, has been in the house for three years."Its been a long, crazy trip," Andrews said. With the charter, "we'll have a little more respect around campus, and we'll be looked out more seriously," he said.Matt Young, Sigma Alpha Epsilon member, said he pledged in '94 knowing the house had no charter."At (University of Kansas), they were really good there, and I knew they'd be getting their charter back," Young said."I'm pretty tired, because we've been working a long time. I'll take a big sigh of relief after initiation on Saturday."
