Belmont ATO Has Been Kicked Off Campus Because Of… Chili’s Grill & Bar?

WJ Cope8 years ago

ATO at Belmont is in trouble. Reports indicate that the chapter is no longer recognized by the university following a ruling and subsequent appeal. The appeal was filed by ATO on November 9, but it was not successful.

From Belmont Vision:

“We reviewed the appeal, and the appellate officer determined that there was nothing in the review of the appeal that would change the outcome,” Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said. “So the outcome remains the same.”

“You can suggest that there’s only a single event that has precipitated the outcome, but really it’s an accumulation of things as well as the current activity,” Burns said.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. It’s hard for a chapter to survive when it has a history of bad conduct. These must have been some serious violations over the course of several years, right?

Not exactly.

Per ATO nationals CEO Wynn Smiley (world-class name, by the way) via Belmont Vision:

“I did have a memo drawn up of the chapter’s accomplishments on campus and in the community over the last three years, and they’ve been a very good campus and community partner,” Smiley said. “I know that the university mentioned three conduct violations since maybe 2010 of the chapter, but those were either disputed or — in my opinion — minor.”

Am I missing something here? Well, I guess fraternity nationals can sometimes overlook violations to defend their chapters, so let’s take a look at the incident that was supposedly the straw that broke the camel’s back:

Apparently, the chapter had around 40 people over at a Chili’s and — gasp! — some of the 21 and older members had… BEER! Wow, guys; way to push the limits of decency!

This is especially sad news for us here at TFM, because we’re known to be staunch allies of Chili’s and all it stands for. As it stands, this is a sad day for us, Chili’s, ATO, and any fraternity member who thinks it might be a good idea to grab a beer with the guys at a restaurant. Here’s to hoping ATO can fight the good fight and get back on campus..

[via Belmont Vision]

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