Dear Pi Beta Phi Nationals,

I am going to make this letter short and sweet because that seems to be the way Grand Council decided to close the Ohio Zeta charter. The decision to close Ohio Zeta was made over a week ago and I have waited this long to write because I have just now gathered my thoughts about the situation. At first I was filled with a sense of pure shock and despair. An organization I love and had just become a part of was dissolved and I had no way of bringing it back. Although this initial feeling has lingered, I am now filled with a sense of anger and betrayal. I have gone over the events of this past spring semester over and over in my head in order to understand what went wrong. I am not writing to defend the events of the past (specifically events that occurred when I was only in sixth grade) but instead I will defend myself and my sisters.

I realize now that my 2017 new member class has been deceived all along. Pi Beta Phi Nationals, not my Ohio Zeta sisters, made three huge mistakes during the past spring semester.

The first mistake was allowing this chapter to participate in rush. Ohio Zeta was obviously in an extremely fragile state, and it is Nationals’ responsibility to step in and prohibit recruitment. I understand that the active members of Ohio Zeta wanted to participate in recruitment, but who could blame them? I am unsure if the majority of the chapter understood the gravity of the situation with Nationals therefore they believed Ohio Zeta could sponsor a new pledge class. So obviously they would want to recruit girls in order to improve our chapter and bring new members into the amazing sisterhood we possess. This was Nationals’ first mistake, but they could still recover.

Later in the semester at one of our new member meetings, a representative from Nationals came to speak to us. She relayed to us that our charter was in danger because of our probation status, and we had to sign an agreement. This agreement stated that if Ohio Zeta were to lose its charter, we would become Pi Phi alumni. Obviously, this shocked many of us because we had no intention of becoming alumni when we had only joined the organization one month prior. Fortunately, the National representative reassured us that if the chapter was in extreme danger of closing, initiation would be moved from April 8th to a later date. Looking back at the event, I realize that Nationals was only trying to protect themselves, without any regard for our well being. The Initiation date never changed, so we obviously believed our chapter was safe from closure. Every member of my pledge class signed the agreement, and we became initiated members of Pi Phi on April 8th, 2017.

Closely after initiation, we all went our separate ways for the summer. Everything went smoothly, until we were notified in early July that the Grand Council would be voting on the status of our charter. This truly came as a shock to every member of Ohio Zeta. Although we were in shock, we came together in a way I have never seen from any organization. Specifically, my pledge class spoke everyday and formulated a concrete plan of action that involved committees focused on the areas we needed the most improvement: academics, campus involvement and philanthropy. Every member of my pledge class was on a committee and were more than willing to plan and attend various events. On top of my pledge class involvement, many older members joined committees within their respective class. Every member of my pledge class, 60 girls to be exact, poured their hearts out to Grand Council in letters. This was no easy task, and it required a lot of time and effort to complete. We had spent hours upon hours attempting to prove ourselves to an organization that we thought had our best interests at heart. Unfortunately, we were completely wrong.

Nationals had made their final and largest mistake: They closed our charter and did not give us a chance. Writing the letters, starting the committees, and even receiving "Most Improved Chapter" at Convention (honestly one of the most ironic things I have ever heard) was not enough to prove that we were not “apathetic towards change.” The truth is, the Grand Council’s decision was made a long time ago.

I cannot explain why the Grand Council thought that it was okay to bring a new pledge class into a charter they had already given up on. It could have been financial since they did make thousands upon thousands of dollars off of Ohio Zeta last semester although we had no social functions. That may be a hefty claim, but trust me, it is something many people are considering and investigating. Truthfully, I cannot find any justification in the Grand Council’s actions. I understand why Ohio Zeta was under strict supervision because actions do have consequences and we are far from perfect. Despite this, 60 new members had been added to this organization and we deserved a chance. We deserved at least a semester of being fully initiated members that would have the opportunity to carry out the committees and promises we made to the Grand Council. We did not get this chance, and it is a decision that has forever tarnished my view of Pi Beta Phi Nationals.

Members of Ohio Zeta committed themselves to this organization during initiation, and in turn expected to be protected and supported by their sisters on every level. I can tell you that I am fully supported by every member of Ohio Zeta but not by Pi Beta Phi Nationals. They have completely diminished the term "sisterhood" by valuing their reputation over their own members' well being. I am truly heartbroken that an organization I put so much faith and trust in to has deceived both myself and my sisters. It is something that those involved, specifically Nationals, will not soon forget.

I know that there is no way to reverse what happened to Ohio Zeta, but I want to ensure that Pi Beta Phi never treats another chapter like this again. I am not expecting a response because there is truly no way for Nationals to defend the actions I have mentioned in a truthful manner. I just hope that this letter is read by the members of the Grand Council that made this decision. Maybe then they will understand that their foolish decision affected real people who have voices that are not going to go quiet anytime soon.