The Phi Delta Theta chapter at WKU has had their charter taken away until spring 2014.

Joe Morel, chapter advisory board chairman, said alumni of the chapter can still hold alumni Phi Delta Theta events, but the college members cannot.

“They can’t hold any functions and they can’t recruit,” Morel said.

He said they also can’t participate in intramurals. However, the members aren’t being kicked out of the fraternity and have been given alumni status thus far.

“They can still wear letters, they can still tell people that they’re Phi Delta Theta,” Morel said.

Franklin, Tenn., junior Max Haupt, brotherhood chairman, said the year without their charter is like a probation period.

Haupt said one factor that led to the chapter losing their charter was that they had about four years of actives that didn’t do a good job of paying their dues. When some of the newer members came into the fraternity in the last two years, they were left with debt from previous members.

“We’ve got to make sure our debts are paid off, but the charter’s going to be coming back by spring of 2014,” Haupt said. “That’s when we’re getting our new recruits in. We’re hoping to get a solid class in and get some new guys to move into the house.”

The members who are still in school when the chapter is reinstated will get to reactivate their status in the fraternity, Haupt said.

Morel said there were other factors involved in this situation. The chapter was also lacking in membership and having trouble keeping their grades up. Morel said during this year without their charter, the members will be concentrating on school.

“Their main focus is to get their grades up,” Morel said. “That was one of the minimum standards that we lacked in, was our academics.”

As of now, Morel said he plans to resume his position when the chapter is reinstated.

Jackson Pohlmann, chapter president, said because of the chapter’s past success, Phi Delta Theta’s headquarters did not feel the need to completely remove the fraternity from WKU’s campus. He said when the chapter gets their charter back, it will give them a chance to start fresh with a clean slate.

“This gives the chapter chance to start over, in a way, without having obstacles to climb,” Pohlmann said.

After the chapter is taken off suspension, Pohlmann said the headquarters will send staff members to WKU, and with the assistance of local alumni, they will actively recruit new students to be part of the fraternity.

Before the chapter was placed on suspension, they sold their chapter house, and they have acquired a new property, Pohlmann said.

The date the members will be able to move into the house once their charter is reinstated is still tentative and dependent on donations and how much money they will be able to raise, Haupt said.

Haupt said another problem is that some of the fraternity brothers weren’t giving it their all and participating in all the events while others remained dedicated.

“The goal of the next year is to make sure everyone that was in this tight-knit group, the real actives, stay together and stay close — stay brothers, really,” Haupt said.

Haupt said it’s important to have a firm basis to start their renewed chapter off with next spring.

“It’ll still be some of the same old guys, but we’re going to get a bunch of new blood in the chapter,” Haupt said.