Megan Hazuga-
On April 21, the nearly 100 year old fraternity Sigma Tau Gamma (Sig Tau) stood in front of the University Court, the judicial branch of the Stout Student Association, and pled their case for why their fraternity should remain a recognized organization by UW-Stout. The decision of this appeal could affect Sig Tau’s place on campus permanently.
In December of 2014, Sig Tau was notified of the suspension of their status as a Stout recognized organization. This suspension was to be in effect until September 12, 2016. However, the complaint filed by SSA stated that they had found Sig Tau to be violating their terms of probation prior to their suspension ending.
Representing the Stout Student Association’s decision, Alex Vernon and Stephanie Zengler stated their reasoning for the citations and why they believed their decision to cite the fraternity was valid. Vernon explained that their month-long investigation began in October of 2016, and with the evidence accumulated, they believed SSA made the correct decision to cite Sig Tau.
Representing Sig Tau was the current president, Jonathan Wolgemuth, and former president Tom Goode. According to Sig Tau, the notification of their violations was not received until after their suspension end date, and thus should not be held against them in regards to their previous suspension.
There were three separate events that led to the Stout Student Association suspension, all of which involved suspicion of underage drinking. The events were a spring formal event, a small bonfire and a homecoming party. The fraternity was accused of providing alcohol to underage students, as well as selling alcohol without a license to do so and without a third party vendor.
Both sides provided evidence; SSA had acquired photos from social media that were used to prove their accusations. Sig Tau provided witness testimony as well as pointing out the inaccuracy of details regarding the events.
The Universtiy court’s decision will affect whether or not Sigma Tau Gamma will remain a recognized organization by UW-Stout.
Stay tuned to the online version of this story for a final decision.