A confrontation with another organization two years ago resulted in a deferred suspension for the men of Iowa State’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, but now members say they are ready to put the experience behind them.

“We have learned that fighting isn’t the answer,” said Marvin DeJear, community service chairman for the fraternity.

Not being able to participate or coordinate any of their own activities helped the Omega men to think hard about their future, members said.

“Seeing that the Omegas were the first black greeks here on campus, and have been providing services here for over 25 years, we felt sick not being able to do anything and never want to be in that predicament again,” said fraternity member Curtis Creighton. “Even if we have to swallow our pride, nothing’s worth losing our chapter.”

To make up for time lost, the Omegas have put together a list of events planned for the semester. Activities range from workshops to scholarships for students with academic excellence.

“The Omegas are now encompassing every facet — sports, radio, studies and involvement in other organizations. We’re doing everything we can to regain our positive image here on campus,” said Jasir Shelton, social chairman.

After their suspension, the Omegas said, they felt backed into a corner by the university.

“We went through every channel we could to prevent it. I still felt that we didn’t get due process by the university,” Creighton said. “Our founders were seen as a radical group in their day, and they were denied for a long time. The problems we faced here stemmed from some personal biases in administration that made it hard for us to make our comeback.”

Omega members said they have been able to use the suspension time to come together as a unit.

“This episode really took a toll on the chapter, but we did get together over last semester and the summer to come up with ideas,” Creighton said.

“It has brought us closer together as a chapter, and our goals have changed. I think the chapter has gone through a lot of maturing over the time we had off,” Shelton said.