When the Epsilon Chapter of the Alpha Delta Gamma Fraternity had their charter revoked by the Student Government Association last spring for violating rush rules, no one expected them to return to Loyola’s campus any time soon. No one except for the ADGs, that is.

Now, less than a year later, things look favorable for ADG, as they have convinced many that they have changed and that SGA should reinstate them on campus at their hearing in December.

When SGA revoked their charter, all ADG privileges were taken away, including the right to wear their jerseys on campus and host any events related to the fraternity.

For a while, the fraternity resorted to wearing jerseys that said “AmDG,” which stands for “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.” This is the Latin version of the Society of Jesus’ motto, “For the Greater Glory of God.”

On top of having their privileges revoked, the ADG fraternity house, which had been theirs since 1976, burned down in January.

But the ADGs have tried to turn their bad luck and reputation around with a fresh start. With no adviser, no house and no fraternity privileges, they started to reconstruct the fraternity from scratch. The brothers devised a step-by-step plan to slowly regain each privilege that was lost.

As of now, the ADGs have gained back all their privileges except being officially reinstated on campus. They can now use the ADG name in intramural sports, wear their ADG jerseys and sponsor events on campus.

The plan to achieve reinstatement includes set hours of community service that each brother must complete, such as cleaning trash every Thursday on Broadway and Freret streets where their burned out house stands. The fraternity has completed more than 250 hours of community service since August. They are also planning a canned food drive for Thanksgiving this week.

The ADGs have also displayed more Loyola community involvement this semester. Along with having to earn school spirit points by attending Loyola events such as volleyball games, the brothers participated in the Mass of the Holy Spirit this September, an ADG tradition that had been forgotten in past years.

ADG Vice President Damon Stathatos, management sophomore, stressed that one of the fraternity’s main goals is to return to the traditional principles of the national Alpha Delta Gamma fraternity, which are spiritual, scholastic, service, school spirit and social ideals.

According to the ADG national Web site, “the fraternity was founded upon Christian ideals of true manhood, sound learning and the unity of fraternal brotherhood.”

Accounting sophomore Joe Vairo, ADG treasurer, said he was proud to have the opportunity to leave a positive impression on his fraternity. “Writing a business proposal from scratch – that’s something that no other class has done before,” he said.

And, so far, their plan seems to be working.

“The ADGs are working really hard this semester; and as long as they stay on track, IFC will give them a good recommendation,” said Joseph Goddu, Interfraternity Council president and accounting sophomore.

The IFC is the governing body for fraternities at Loyola, made up of members from each fraternity. The council’s recommendation will weigh heavily on the SGA’s decision of whether the ADGs will be allowed back on campus, Goddu said.

Another big player in SGA’s decision will be Gregory Roskopf, assistant director of student activities. Although Roskopf would not comment on what type of recommendation he would give until he has “seen the final product,” he spoke well of the fraternity.

“They are a different group than they were a year ago,” Roskopf said. He said he agrees that the fraternity has taken a new direction, demonstrating membership dedication and overall involvement at Loyola. But Roskopf emphasized that the changes made had to be “an ongoing process, not just X, Y and Z.”

When the ADGs first walked into mathematics professor Stephen Scariano’s office, wearing suits, carrying a business proposal and asking him to become their new faculty adviser, Scariano expressed some hesitation. But he was impressed with their professionalism and determination and quickly decided to accept the position, he said.

Scariano, who is a Loyola ADG alum, is proud of the fraternity.

“They resurrected what I called a completely defunct fraternity,” Scariano said. He said he sees the brothers as direct and motivated, and he thinks that they deserve to be let back on campus.

Scariano said he believes that his responsibility is to keep the ADGs on track. “If I see something going on, I will certainly say something long before they get kicked off campus.”

He sees the opportunity for the fraternity to be a positive organization for the university by emphasizing that schoolwork comes first but that social activities, such as building brotherhood, are also an important aspect of the college experience.

Stathatos said that the social and recreational aspects of the fraternity are still important to them. “We are not trying to separate completely, but we want to show the campus that we do care,” he said

The National ADG fraternity sent a representative to Loyola last week to discuss the Epsilon chapter’s progress and give feedback and encouragement to their brothers.

With the “Pathways” plan to reconstruct the university, Loyola has said that there will be no more charters for new organizations any time soon. This adds pressure to the ADGs to get back on campus as soon as possible, because the more time Loyola has to get used to the ADGs not being on campus could make it harder for them to be reinstated in the future, Vairo said.

The ADGs are also anxious to get back on campus in time to be able to have a pledge class for the spring semester, Stathatos said. They were unable to have a pledge class last year because their charter was revoked while they were rushing. This rush season is vital to keeping their membership numbers up, according to Stathatos.

The fraternity is trying to move the date of the SGA hearing from Dec. 31 to sometime in early December, Stathatos added.

Alethia Picciola can be reached at [email protected].

ADGs attend the Holy Name of Jesus school fair the first week in November. They have tried to make themselves more known for community service. (John Shalbey)