Message Regarding Fraternity Life

Dear Parents and Families-

Greetings from Fraternity & Sorority Life! It is always such an exciting time when our recognized fraternities and sororities take in new members, as your students bring a zest of new life into our community.

I am writing to share with you some recent news we heard from parents of students who say they are joining national fraternities that are considered “underground” and not recognized by the University.

Please note that Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt or Nu Phi Delta), Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy), Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp), and Tau Kappa Epsilon (TEKE) have no recognized undergraduate chapter at WVU, and also carry no recognition from their respective national organizations.

This means that any money collected from your student is going towards a general fund that can be used for anything—whether that be operational in nature or a “slush fund” for alcohol.

If your student claims to be “pledging” or joining these organizations, do know that he will not be considered a legitimate member by the University or national organization.

Many parents have asked me and my staff “why” these kinds of groups exist. In each of these cases, the University decided to revoke recognition of the undergraduate chapter, and the national organization followed suit by revoking their charter. These decisions are made in concert, and in response to disciplinary action taken by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. What we are finding is that students are simply refusing to give up their Greek experience because they don’t agree that their chapter should have been closed.

And so, they operate with no supervision, advisement, or recognition from any entity other than the collective group themselves.

We encourage you to have an earnest conversation with your student about avoiding such groups. To our knowledge, there are no unrecognized sororities or women’s organizations.

As a reminder, the following fraternities are recognized by WVU and their respective national organization. We strongly encourage your student joins these organizations:

• Alpha Epsilon Pi
• Alpha Gamma Rho
• Delta Chi
• Pi Kappa Phi
• Phi Kappa Psi
• Phi Sigma Phi
• Lambda Chi AlphaSigma Nu
• Pi Lambda Phi
• Alpha Epsilon Pi
• Alpha Gamma Rho
• Delta Chi
• Pi Kappa Phi
• Phi Kappa Psi
• Phi Sigma Phi
• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Sigma Nu
• Pi Lambda Phi

The following fraternities are NOT recognized or supported by WVU, but remain recognized by their national organization:

• Alpha Sigma Phi
• Kappa Alpha Order
• Phi Sigma Kappa
• Sigma Chi
• Theta Chi

The following fraternities are NOT recognized or supported by WVU or their respective national organizations:

• Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE)
• Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt or Nu Phi Delta)
• Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI)
• Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy)
• Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp)
• Tau Kappa Epsilon (TEKE)

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at M.Richardson@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-8201

Thank you!

Matthew R. Richardson, Ed.D.