Dear Beta Theta Pi Fraternity Alumni, Parents, Brothers, and Friends:

We have all had a few days to ponder the panel's decision and recommendation to suspend the fraternity from campus for a period of two years. Although we fought hard, we believe our arguments fell on deaf ears and therefore were not surprised by the outcome. We believe the hearing was over before it started. It was clear, when the University refused to drop the charges against the Fraternity, even though no individual Beta students remained charged, that they were going to punish somebody and that somebody was us.

Now is the time for action, and each and every one of you needs to know that this process is far from over. As we move forward, we will finally and thankfully have the opportunity to avail ourselves of the judicial system, where there are rules of evidence, rules of procedure, and a judge who is truly fair and impartial.

This will not be easy. It will take time, money, and effort on the part of each and every one of you. We strongly believe that there are times in each of our lives that we need stand up and fight for what we believe in. And this is definitely one of those times.

Our lawyer Jordan had the opportunity to meet many of the brothers and parents during the past week, and it is clear to him that this fraternity is worth fighting for and that the University has violated its own rules as well as our rights as students and citizens. We plan to challenge this in every possible venue so that the University is forced to fight in public instead of behind the very closed doors of Student Conduct:

1. We will appeal the decision of the board panel to the University.

2. Should we lose the appeal at the university level, the school will attempt to immediately enforce the suspension. At this point we will file a motion for an emergency injunction in the Orange County, Circuit Court. We will attempt to get a court order staying (delaying) the enforcement of the suspension until our appeal is heard by the 5th District Court of Appeals, and if successful, the fraternity would continue to operate as normal during this period.

It will take a great deal of funds to fight the University. and to stand up for our rights and the rights for all students, student organizations, and especially Greeks. We have already raised a substantial amount of money in a very short time, but we need your help.

This is a fight that is worth fighting. We WILL NOT let the University run over our rights or ruin our reputations. We have put too much time, resources, and effort into this fraternity to give up on it now. Please, any amount that you can donate to help us fight the injustice that has been done to us will help the battle. We will not lose, not now.

Thank you all again for your support, it means a great deal to each and every one of us.

If you want to join the discussion, please visit a facebook group created by one of our supporters. We already have over 1500 supporters. LINK HERE