The active chapter of Indiana Acacia was suspended in the summer of 2021 for violating various IU policies related to COVID-19 and for lying to IU officials.
Plans now call for the chapter to return as a colony during the fall semester 2025. Recruiting for new undergraduate members is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
A task force from the Indiana Building Corporation (IABC) has been researching best practices for fraternity chapters and holding discussions regarding goals, values, recruiting, and various other items associated with successful chapters. Brother Aaron Darcy ('95) chairs the task force that includes Scott Chakan ('95) and Michael Oakes ('76).
A Zoom meeting in February 2022 included several more brothers, including recent graduates and re-founding fathers. The perspectives of those who have been active brothers in the past few years were especially helpful. "One very important responsibility for us is to ensure we have current thinking about fraternity life," Darcy explained. While taking advantage of the wisdom of older alumni, "we absolutely must avoid imposing on a new active chapter the kind of back-in-the-day policies that are no longer relevant today," Darcy continued.
Members of the task force have reached out to alumni leaders of other fraternities and to the leadership in IU Student Affairs. Among issues warranting ongoing investigation and discussion are the right sizing of an undergraduate chapter, developing more mature leadership and avoiding putting the entire chapter in the hands of 19 and 20 year-old students, live-in requirements, academic requirements, and a recruiting process that is less reliant on the IFC system.
Brother Darcy updated alumni on all the discussions and planning so far at the Annual Meeting in July, 2022.
ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
Early discussions have also included work on creating a better organizational structure for managing alumni, the building and property, and the undergraduate chapter. The existing structure – mostly, a housing corporation board – has been in place for many years. Often, board members confront a lot of issues related to the chapter or to alumni, though these issues seem outside the responsibilities of a housing board.
Communication with all of Indiana Acacia is another issue. With that in mind, Bob Garrow ('78), vice president of the board, has taken charge of cleaning up our alumni contact information. Phil Stephens ('87) and Doug Staley ('94) are involved in thinking through alumni association management and communication.
TIMELINE AS OF DECEMBER 2022
Nothing has been settled as far as a calendar of action items. At the board's December 22 meeting, it was suggested that a proposal for a new organizational structure might be presented to alumni at the July, 2023 annual meeting.
Questions about the ongoing discussions? Or even better, a desire to get involved and contribute to those discussions? Let us know:
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