Two Fraternity Council Offices Left Vacant Following Monday's Meeting

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Tensions and confusion were both high Monday night as USC's fraternity council voted to temporarily remove Tim Bryson as president of the organization. Bryson, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., was removed following a petition filed by four fraternity presidents to an executive council officer. The petition stated that Bryson and the then Vice President of Conduct, Jonathan Withrow, had not lived up to the standards of their positions. This petition comes days after Bryson and Withrow acted on the authority of the council to stop recruitment and suspend 13 campus fraternities for alleged alcohol violations. Heated dialogue created tense interactions in Monday's meeting with several fraternity members pleading cases for Bryson and Withrow to be removed. One fraternity president voiced frustration in how suspensions were handled saying, "My name and my fraternity's name are what's being tarnished." Already lengthy discussion was complicated by questions as to the constitutionality of motions being made to remove Bryson and Withrow. More confusion surfaced as members struggled to determine which of three copies of the fraternity council constitution was the current document. Upon review of the official constitution it became apparent that there is no precedent for who is to lead the council following a simultaneous vacancy of the offices of president and Vice President of Conduct. In an effort to eliminate further confusion, a motion was passed to appoint a parliamentarian to enforce rules in sessions. The body also voted to appoint Lander Smith as "facilitator of dialogue" to oversee the investigation into the actions of Bryson and Withrow. As discussion continued, present members of the media were asked to leave the meeting prior to a conduct hearing being held to examine Bryson and Withrow. Unable to constitutionally remove guest from an open meeting, the body voted to close the meeting to the public. Approximately 45 minutes after clearing the room, Withrow emerged visibly frustrated, walking away from the meeting area on the third floor of Russell House. Roughly 30 minutes later, the meeting adjourned with no clear understanding of an end game on either side. While no votes were cast in the hearing, Bryson was temporarily removed as president. "In any governing body the people are going to speak," Bryson said. "The people spoke and as of now I am no longer president of fraternity council until there's a vote on next week." Bryson also said he did not know who would be stepping in as interim president and was not aware of who currently governs fraternity council. As for Jonathan Withrow, a resignation letter was sent to The Daily Gamecock in which he states his values "did not line up with the vast majority of fraternity presidents." Withrow went on to say that the IFC's actions to impeach Bryson would be "the nail in the coffin for self-governance for the Greek community at USC." An anonymous letter was published early Tuesday morning, claiming to be a statement from the council on Monday night's meeting. As of now ABJ is unable to confirm the validity of this document and thus will not formally publish its contents. For now it is unclear who currently leads USC's fraternity council and what the future of the group is on campus. Many fear that Monday's meeting will cause the university to take action against the entire Greek community until further plans of governance can be made. Members of USC's black Greek community are also concerned that tonight's meeting may have done permanent damage to the relationship between NPHC and IFC fraternities. Now temporarily out of office, Bryson says he wants what is best for the Greek community at USC. Looking ahead, Bryson believes fraternity council is now charged with deciding who is the best man to lead the charge moving forward.