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WVU fraternity returns after five-year suspension

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Phi Kappa Psi is back on campus and offering scholarships after a five-year suspension.

“It was a self-imposed suspension,” said Marc Munoz, the expansion consultant for Phi Kappa Psi.

Phi Kappa Psi’s national chapter wants to start anew and, as Munoz put it, “rebrand the fraternity.”

 The fraternity returned to campus this fall and is offering five $1,000 scholarships. In an effort to rebuild the chapter, Phi Kappa Psi is looking for males with at least a 2.85 GPA who are involved on campus through clubs or other student organizations.

The scholarships are for any male affiliated or not affiliated with Greek life, and there is no requirement to join Phi Kappa Psi.

Munoz and his colleague Phil Mikos, a chapter services consultant, are on campus for the fall semester searching for qualified individuals.

“We have to get our face out and show that we do mean business when it comes to academics,” Munoz said.

Phi Kappa Psi was suspended from campus in December 2013 by its national chapter after a hazing incident that led to the arrest of a WVU student for assault and battery.

Munoz addressed the general connotation associated with many fraternities as being conduits for partying and hazing.

“We admit it exists and we’re not afraid to talk about it,” he said. “We think it’s important to talk about it so history does not repeat itself.”

 Munoz said they are looking for guys who want to join “for the right reasons.”

“We don’t want the stereotypical fraternity,” Mikos said. “We want to change the culture here and so it’s finding the guys that want to do that.”

Mikos’ goal to “change the culture” fits perfectly with the rhetoric that’s been heard around campus in the last few years as University administrators have pushed for policies and actions to hold those on campus, specifically Greek life, accountable for their actions.

Last fall semester, Roy Baker was hired and brought on as WVU’s first director of Greek life. The creation of this position and Baker’s appointment to it was one of seven steps in Vice President of Student Life William Schafer’s 2015 initiative to restructure Greek life on WVU’s campus. Some of his other actions included delaying recruitment for freshman students (which will take effect this year), implementing a medical amnesty policy for the University and starting more training initiatives for Greek life leaders, among other things.

Phi Kapa Psi is encouraging anyone interested in joining to reach out.

Once Munoz and Mikos leave campus, members of the Phi Kappa Psi will police the fraternity, and help ensure members stick to its values.

To read more from The Daily Athenaeum, click here. 

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