Yale’s newest fraternity, Beta Upsilon Chi, or BYX, will begin its first rush process next week as the University’s only Greek organization currently in defiance of Yale’s anti-discrimination policies.
In October 2012, BYX chose to deregister with the Yale College Dean’s Office to maintain a nationally mandated policy of exclusively Christian membership. All registered groups must comply with the Undergraduate Regulations, which state that all undergraduate organizations are banned from discriminating on the basis of religion. Fraternity members said Christianity is a key part of their fraternity’s life, and they are committed to upholding the Christian-only policy despite the challenges associated with deregistering.
“We decided not to compromise what our purpose is for being registered on campus,” said Victor Hicks ’15, the chapter’s founder and president. “We are a brotherhood of Christian men. … We hold chapter meetings that are Christ-centered, and testimony is given at these meetings. The sole unifying aspect of the fraternity is that you believe in Christ.”
The BYX national organization’s website states that “each of our members is a professing Christian and exhibits a willingness to serve in Christ’s Kingdom” — a requirement that defies the Undergraduate Regulations, which mandate all organizations adhere to Yale’s equal opportunity policies.
Hicks said he registered the fraternity in summer 2012, when he sent the Dean’s Office a copy of the fraternity’s constitution. John Meeske, dean of student organizations and physical resources, said the fraternity was approved for registration because administrators “did not realize” the fraternity’s membership policy. The constitution sent along with the registration application included all membership requirements, Hicks said.
After Meeske and Assistant Dean of Yale College Rodney Cohen told Hicks that BYX must eliminate its Christian-only membership requirement to continue operating as a registered organization in October 2012, Hicks and his fraternity brothers decided to discontinue registration with the University to continue the policy.
Hicks said the fraternity members chose to deregister based on the national organization’s recommendation that the fraternity not compromise the membership requirement to obtain registration. He added that the members had a desire to “stay true to what the fraternity had established” — an organization centered around Christian teachings and open only to Christians. read more
