After a year of probation, the eligibility of Delta Gamma Sigma’s reinstatement is still under evaluation for next year, according to Oklahoma Christian University President John deSteiguer.
“We reap what we sow; that’s a biblical truth and it’s also in the real world a practical truth,” deSteiguer said. “Anytime we’re associated with individuals, often we also are recipients of the consequences of their behaviors – for good or for bad. In this particular case, that could very well be part of the result of this.”
Following Delta’s spring banquet in 2015, a party was held that resulted in the suspension of the social club for the 2015-2016 school year. DeSteiguer said that the event was held despite Oklahoma Christian staff telling leadership in the social club to prevent the gathering from happening.
According to deSteiguer, the administration began an investigation regarding the violations of university policies and the process was complicated by efforts to cover up the initial event. As a result, deSteiguer said that he made the decision to suspend Delta for the entire school year, which meant that it could not participate in any club-related events.
“Well, it’s definitively not what I expected it to be for my senior year, but it went better than I expected it to,” Austin McRay, president of Delta for the 2015-2016 school year, said.
McRay said that Delta is not defined by this story, despite those who may think there is only a negative side of the club.
“There’s always more to the story than what meets the eye,” McRay said. “It’s like someone opening up a book and reading the first page, but they don’t realize that there are 99 other pages.”
According to McRay, the actions of a few members do not necessarily represent the whole.
“People in each individual club are going to do things that are going to misrepresent their club,” McRay said. “But, what is frustrating is that there can be someone in another club who does something – just one member – and people say, ‘that’s just that person.’ But, when it’s a Delta member, it’s always ‘because they’re in Delta.’ We are constantly under the microscope.”
However, deSteiguer said that a standard needed to be set for the future regarding club events that conflict with the university’s mission.
“There has to be some consequences that creates a precedent for future events,” deSteiguer said. “Had only a few of the people been impacted by this, then that wouldn’t have provided a very good precedent for other clubs or other student organizations in the future when leadership learns of or is made aware of something happening that shouldn’t. They need to understand that there are consequences for everybody in those things.”
According to deSteiguer, the situation regarding Delta’s suspension is not as out of the ordinary as students may perceive it.
“The reality is that in the life of Oklahoma Christian and our 2,000 undergraduate students and our 600 graduate students, this is not that big of a deal,” deSteiguer said. “This is just kind of standard operating procedures. People make mistakes and violate rules and consequences are applied.”
DeSteiguer said that social service clubs are important to him and the campus as a whole. He also said that consequences are not a reflection of his feeling toward any specific group, but a necessity to maintain the university’s mission and values.
“The importance of social service clubs is that personal connection and relationship that they have with each other – that kind of brotherhood or sisterhood,” deSteiguer said. “So, I love that about social service clubs. But there’s also responsibility that goes with that.”
During the school year, Delta members met with three mentors – Dean of Spiritual Life Jeff McMillon, Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences Jeff McCormack and Director of University Counseling Services Sheldon Adkins – who were appointed by deSteiguer. Each mentor was an alumnus of Oklahoma Christian, alumnus of Delta and held a position of influence on campus as an employee.
“The discipline was not aimed at extracting pain or punishment; it was about redemption and reformation,” deSteiguer said. “I wanted Delta to get together with these mentors. It’s great if they get together in settings where they can kind of rehabilitate the organization. That’s why I also encouraged them in the fall semester supporting – on an individual basis or on a collective basis – other social service clubs’ efforts at doing good things. So, we saw some of that and that was positive.”
Throughout the fall semester, members of Delta gathered together for a weekly Bible study and various service projects. These actions lead to further privileges in the spring semester, according to deSteiguer.
“I think some people did want to be reinstated for the spring semester, but the reality was that I said they were suspended for a year up front,” deSteiguer said. “The fact that coming into the spring semester we allowed them to do some extra things, really, were principally related to some progress that I thought that I had seen and also that the mentors and dean of student affairs encouraged me to see as progress.”
In the spring semester, Delta members were allowed to participate in independent intramural teams and participate in Spring Sing as the “Upperclassmen.” Delta also was able to have a small rush class and elect officers for next year, if the club is reinstated.
Overall, deSteiguer said that he thinks the response the university has had with the situation was an effective one.
“I wish this Delta thing hadn’t happened, but it did and I needed to respond to it,” deSteiguer said. “And I think that response has been a pretty decent response. Maybe the fact that there are people who are upset on both sides maybe would indicate that it’s not a bad response.”
McRay said that the year of suspension has had positive effects on the members of Delta.
“It’s caused us to kind of turn on one another, but it’s also caused us to really dig deep into what Delta is really about,” McRay said. “We’ve had to work through it because everyone else, from the outside, sees the bad traditions and the bad things, but there is a lot of good.”
According to McRay, Delta focused on changing its reputation this year.
“There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that we’re working on changing our identity,” McRay said. “There’s a group of guys that are seniors and are graduating that we’re trying to instill in the younger guys to carry on without us. They’re going to have to be working diligently every day to try to change the reputation we’ve had for many years.”
McRay said that the process of having a good reputation is nonstop for clubs.
“I think it’s an ongoing continual process,” McRay said. “I don’t think that next year, all of the sudden, we’re going to be a brand new club with angel wings. But, I do think that there will be a continual effort to change that reputation and to constantly be bettering Delta and our reputation.”
Sophomore Daniel Shively waited to rush Delta in the spring semester instead of rushing another social club.
“I decided to wait to rush Delta because once I got to know the guys and the club as a whole, I realized early on that the things they valued and the personality of the guys I thought I fit in more with them,” Shively said.
According to Shively, he hadn’t always wanted to rush Delta as a freshman.
“I didn’t want to rush them initially, but then I got to know them better,” Shively said. “So, I was thinking Delta going into the summer before sophomore year and then I heard they were suspended for a year. So, I was thinking that I might go Kappa … but then when rush actually started, I realized that I didn’t want to be anywhere else except in Delta.”
Shively was elected as Delta’s athletic director for the 2016-2017 school year, should the club be reinstated.
“I would like to help Delta get back to where they were and maybe help their reputation a bit to get back on the good side of people and to still maintain those Delta values, but maybe be more respected by Student Life or have a better relationship with them,” Shively said. “I’m the athletic director so, I’m going to be making sure we’re out there being ourselves – normal and crazy – but at the same time being respectful of all the other clubs.”
Shively said that he thinks the suspension this year will ultimately be good for Delta next year.
“I know a lot of guys weren’t happy with being associated with the events, but I think we’ve taken the situation we’ve been put in and done the best we can,” Shively said. “I think a lot of freshmen are interested in us and I think it actually helped us out in a lot of ways. Like in Spring Sing, I think we were more pumped up than if we were not in the situation we were in and stuff like that.”
DeSteiguer said that he will make future decisions regarding Delta’s suspension this summer.
“I need to have further input from the three mentors, Dean Arter and from Chris Adair,” deSteiguer said. “I really trust these guys to know what they are talking about and how they are viewing things. So, that decision will be made as we have further conversation with those guys.”
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