Last summer, the brothers of West Chester returned home from the Grand Chapter Conclave in Dallas triumphant. The chapter had just won a Buchanan Cup. Everything seemed great, or so they thought. But simmering just below the surface was a decades-long conflict about to boil over.

The facility is 113-years old, and the Alumni and Volunteer Corporation has struggled with upkeep. While strong risk management practices were always observed during social events, the house took a beating from them. The AVC demanded that the events stop, and the undergraduates insisted on facility improvements, while claiming their right to hold events. The cycle of conflict had been set.

When a prominent alumnus unexpectedly visited the chapter house, he found empty beer cans and saw trash strewn about. He was shocked, angry and disappointed. A few chapter brothers in a good chapter had turned the chapter facility into their own personal playground.

Every chapter has problems, even Buchanan Cup-winning ones. It’s how we deal with this adversity that defines us. Our West Chester brothers decided in that moment how they would be defined.

Concerned chapter members lobbied Regional Director Josh Beekman, Toledo ’13, and volunteers to allow the chapter to conduct its own membership review. The brothers wanted the chance to create positive change in the chapter; they were the driving force, not volunteers or Headquarters staff.

“We created this unfortunate situation, and it was our responsibility to fix it,” said Steve Love, ’15, now serving as chapter president.

The AVC and Headquarters staff were impressed by the resolve of the emerging leaders who would form the basis of the membership review team. If the chapter wanted the opportunity to handle this situation itself, alumni and SigEp staff were willing to let them.

After completing 12 hours of interviews, chapter leaders sequestered to deliberate. The membership review team was tasked with determining the future of each brother and whether each had a role in the chapter that would emerge from this tough process.

The decisions provided by the membership review team were as shocking as they were effective. They sent a powerful message: The time for change had come. The chapter house would be substance free in accordance with the policy of the AVC. Ten men were removed from the chapter, including the chapter president, vice president of programming, and the vice president of finance. New elections would be held within two weeks. A new era was beginning.

In that moment, the chapter changed its own culture without external intervention. Even though some disagreed with the dramatic action of the membership review team, the leaders stood by their decisions.

Steve Clark, ’16, a member of the review team, recalls those challenging days. “We had just reached a breaking point where we thought ‘we’re better than this.’ We had to hold people accountable.” A stronger chapter emerged.

At West Chester, brothers continue to prove that excellence, like SigEp, is a never-ending journey. To stay on this noble path they must stand by their Oaths of Obligation. That means they have to face the difficult work head on.

Six months later, the chapter holds fast to its convictions. The AVC has renewed its resolve to improve the chapter’s home, and the house has undergone over $22,000 in renovations.

The West Chester Chapter earned its Buchanan Cup last summer. And they re-earned it in the fall. They looked the problem right in the eye. And they didn’t blink.