Although members of Kappa Sigma fraternity will be scattered across campus and around Evanston this fall after being banished from their house in June, they said they will work to keep the fraternity’s spirit alive.

Northwestern’s Interfraternity Council suspended Kappa Sigma from campus and the national organization revoked the chapter’s charter at the end of June after members violated a probation agreement by having alcohol at a formal.

The fraternity was placed on probation after a February 2002 “pledge dad hunt” landed an intoxicated freshman pledge in the hospital. The probation was scheduled to end in Spring Quarter 2004, but now the fraternity cannot recharter on campus until January 2007, after all of the current members have graduated.

“It’ll be hard to rebuild because frat traditions are passed down from seniors to freshmen each year,” said Andrew Miller, fraternity member and McCormick junior.

For now, members have been getting apartments near each other and talking about possibly holding events during the year together. Still, it will be more difficult to get everyone together without having an on-campus house, said Weinberg junior Doug Rusch.

“Anybody who expects it to be the same is fooling themselves,” Rusch said.

Kappa Sig was NU’s largest fraternity chapter with around 100 members. Members were told June 20 to be out of the house in two days. Although NU said it would provide interim housing, some members couldn’t find rooms.

“A lot of us really panicked because we’re looking at 48 hours and then we’re homeless,” said Rusch, who was able to spend a week in the Foster-Walker Complex.

The fraternity was suspended following at June 4 formal at Shedd Aquarium. In June Kyle Pendleton, assistant director of Greek Life, said the fraternity was cited for major vandalism, alcohol use, safety issues, animal endangerment and reckless behavior. Shedd representatives could not be reached for comment.

But some members said NU overreacted. Weinberg junior Bryan Tolles, who attended the formal, said the fraternity had to pay about $300 in damages for missing signs and broken glasses and plates. He said he thought the animal endangerment charge stemmed from a fraternity member dropping a closed flask in the beluga whale tank. The whale brought the flask to its trainer, who returned it to the fraternity member.

“Compared to other formals that I’ve been to, this was relatively tame,” said Tolles, the fraternity’s secretary and recruitment chairman.

IFC President Jeremy Esposito said although it sets bad precedent to suspend a fraternity, he was glad NU administrators let the IFC Judicial Board take such a crucial role.

“It’s showing you can make your own decisions to make a healthier Greek system the university holds in higher regard,” said Esposito, a Medill senior.

William Lambert said members will keep in touch while the fraternity is suspended.

“We’ve pretty much managed to keep good links with everyone,” said Lambert, a Weinberg sophomore. “It’ll be harder, but we had a pretty tight house.”