First off, we would like to apologize for the stain of dishonor we have caused the Eta Lambda chapter from our actions during our formals trip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was unbecoming of any Sigma Chi, especially a chapter that has been as great as ours, including both undergraduate and from an alumni standpoint.

The first mistake on our chapter’s part was not taking pictures of the cabins and not requesting check in forms for all three cabins. Secondly, we should have moved anything that could have been easily damaged to a corner, a closet, or off to the side in the rooms. Until Saturday night, there appeared to be little damage to the three houses. It is our suspicion that most of the damage occurred late Saturday night.

Several expensive objects were broken throughout the three different houses (two chairs, glass in a picnic table, hot tub lid, foosball table) but the bigger issue was the cleaning. The bill would have been significantly less if brothers had cleaned Sunday morning. The level of disrespect by not cleaning up on Sunday is embarrassing and appalling. The focus on this bill was not so much on several damaged objects, but on the lack of cleaning on Sunday.

I strongly suspect, as do a few other brothers in our chapter that have dealt closely with the matter that we were grossly overcharged for the bill. However, if I were the cabin company I would have done the exact same thing. I would have walked into the houses on Sunday afternoon, saw that the houses were trashed and had not been cleaned, seen one expensive object broken, and then gone on a mission to find each and every possible thing the fraternity could be charged for, especially because we did not fill out a check in and out form. Is it fair the exact price we were charged, maybe not, but is it justifiable? The definitive answer is yes. This issue was not solely based on people “partying hard” but rather a lack of character and a lack of respect for others.

The situation took a while to resolve because by the time we received the bill, everyone was going home for break. We sought advice from multiple people on what to do, and obviously the first step was to pay the bill. Each brother paid a flat rate; depending on which house they were in. There were several factors that went into this rate, such as damage that couldn’t be blamed on one person, cleaning, and if brothers were even at a given house other than theirs during the weekend. Brothers who caused damages were forced to pay for their actions, and were held accountable. We know there was some level of doubt about charging every brother a certain monetary amount, but the fact of the matter is some damages and cleaning cannot be pinpointed on one person, but were caused by the fraternity at large. Also, if a brother saw another brother doing something inappropriate and did not stop him, he is just as much responsible as the brother doing the damage.

The damages struck the chapter hard, and I know every brother has been looking in the mirror as of late. We plan to continue moving forwards as a chapter, implementing whatever steps are necessary to forever avoid a circumstance such as this, and realign our fraternity in the proper direction.

In Hoc Signo Vinces,

Adam Pereira
Consul