USC Fraternity Council VP quits amid fallout over chapter suspensions

The revolt over the temporary suspension of 13 University of South Carolina fraternity chapters from recruiting new members has led one student fraternity leader to resign and left another facing impeachment.

Jonathan Withrow, USC’s Fraternity Council vice president for conduct, stepped down Monday after an impeachment hearing, decrying a fraternity culture of dangerous behavior and ignoring authority.

Withrow announced two weeks ago that 13 of USC’s 19 fraternity chapters, then recruiting new members, would have to suspend rush because of accusations of alcohol being present at events. Rush events at USC are supposed to be alcohol-free.

The allegations came from other students. USC administrators, including president Harris Pastides, praised students for the self-policing — part of a new school-wide initiative encouraging members of the campus community to report any potential wrongdoing.

The chapters were not allowed to recruit students during much of the week set aside for rush, but all quickly were reinstated after a review by Fraternity Council leaders.

“In light of a recent student death, hospitalizations, and other health and safety concerns, it is undoubtedly a privilege that recruitment resumed after a five-day pause,” Fraternity Council president Tim Bryson said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Four fraternity chapter presidents subsequently requested the impeachment of Withrow and Bryson, accusing the pair of suspending the chapters without going through the process required by council bylaws.

“We applaud Bryson and Withrow’s attempts to keep our community safe, but such attempts must be taken .... (within) the constitution and bylaws,” according to a letter from the four presidents given to The Daily Gamecock. The names of the accusers were not included in the letter.

Withrow said he felt like he was being made a “fall guy” for suspending rush, even though two USC administrators and four students were involved in the decision to suspend the 13 chapters.

The impeachment-request letter said six chapters were cleared of allegations and charges against two others were dropped because of insufficient evidence. Withrow told Student Gamecock Television that five chapters face further conduct hearings.

Withrow and Bryson are members of fraternities that were not suspended two weeks ago.

In his resignation letter, Withrow said his values no longer matched a majority of USC fraternity chapter presidents.

“Their priorities did not include promoting responsible conduct or peer accountability, but in continuing the status quo of dangerous behavior, blatant disregard for authority, and seeking retribution on anybody who they perceive as a threat,” Withrow wrote. “(T)he move by these select presidents to impeach ... President Tim Bryson and I is the nail in the coffin of self-governance for the Greek community here at USC. It has shown the whole community that a large number of fraternity chapters would rather place blame on others than ... examine their own actions.”

Withrow said he declined to meet with Jerry Brewer, USC’s associate vice president for student affairs, after the administrator asked for a sitdown Tuesday.

“I was very dissatisfied by the lack of support or even public comment by anybody in administration,” Withrow wrote in an email to Brewer. “I felt like I was left out to flap in the wind and take all of the heat while the university stayed completely untouched.”

But spokesman Wes Hickman said USC backed the decision of Fraternity Council leaders to suspend temporarily the chapters. “That was the right thing to do.”

The move to oust Withrow and Bryson is part of the same self-governance system, Hickman said. “You have some interesting politics at play here.”

Council president Bryson awaits an impeachment vote next week after a hearing Monday. A two-thirds vote by the school’s 27 fraternity chapters is required to remove him.

In a statement Tuesday, Bryson said he was “in shock” about the calls to oust him.

“Over the last two weeks, there have been countless compliments and celebratory praise from chapter presidents, chapter advisors, and university faculty and staff for this act of self-governance and accountability,” he wrote.

USC has stepped up its sanctions of fraternities for rules violations in recent years.

The school halted new member recruitment temporarily at all fraternities in 2011 after seven chapters were cited for alcohol violations. Last school year, three USC fraternity chapters were closed because of alcohol and hazing violations, including one after the death of a pledge.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 10:36 AM.