During move-in, just about everyone can use a helping hand. But during last week's first-year move-in, one group of students may have overstepped the line. Members of Sigma Chi, a fraternity that the University does not officially recognize because it does not accept women, descended on the Yard wearing their organization's T-shirts to volunteer their labor in helping first-years move in. Several deans dismissed them, insisting that they could not engage in activities on campus as an organization because they were not a recognized group.

While Sigma Chi members insist that their efforts were altruistic and that they were not recruiting new members, it is clear that by having its members wear their T-shirts (just like the Crimson Key Society does, for example) the group hoped to raise its profile on campus.

The deans' judgment may seem harsh and was perhaps not handled as smoothly as it could have been. But there is a reason why Sigma Chi has been excluded from the University's roster of official organizations, and the deans were wise to stand their ground. The members of Sigma Chi who volunteered their time and efforts to help first-years move in could have performed the same service without appearing as representatives of their organization. If Sigma Chi wishes to contribute to the college community, it should, in the future, keep its activities within the College's rules.