After 47 years on the Hill, the WKU chapter of Delta Tau Delta will close, pending further appeals in January 2015.

Their suspension went into effect on July 22 after the fraternity’s Arch Chapter voted to suspend due to repeatedly poor academic performance and low membership.

“First, they were sixteenth out of 16 groups on campus academically, and their membership numbers were well below the campus average for several years,” Jack Kreman, chief operating officer of Delta Tau Delta, said. 

Along with not being able to operate in the name of Delta Tau Delta at WKU, Kreman said members are not allowed to meet or recruit. 

Delta Tau Delta representatives will be able to go in front of the Arch Chapter and appeal to reinstate their chapter in January in Indianapolis. Current members of the group will be considered alumni in good standing as soon as a decision is made in January, but for now they are suspended members. 

“If the chapter is successful, it will be returned to good standing,” Kreman said. “If the chapter is unsuccessful, the charter will be withdrawn and we will work with Western Kentucky University officials to determine the best time to return to campus.”

Charley Pride, director of Student Activities, said that if the fraternity is reinstated after the appeal, operations would return to normal and have no effect on Student Activities’ dealings with campus Greek affairs.

“If Delt recognized them, they would operate it like it would normally be as one of our fraternity chapters,” he said.

Pride said it wasn’t altogether surprising that the fraternity was having issues.

“They had been having membership problems over the last couple of years,” he said.

Ben Liebman, president of the Epsilon Xi chapter of Delta Tau Delta, declined to comment.

The fraternity had 12 members on the roster at the time of their closing.

They initiated more than 600 members since they first came to WKU in February of 1967. 

Reporter Aaron Mudd contributed to this story.