Greek Life: ??????

With so many different aspects to speak about, I could not find the right title for this post. I graduated as a Greek alum, a proud brother of Phi Kappa Theta. During my last year at Case in 2000, our chapter won the Agnar Pytte Greek Cup and the National Founders' Cup, having excelled in philanthropy, academic achievement, campus involvement, and our overall rush program. By joining such an organisation, it has helped me become a more outgoing and successful person today.

It is unfortunate to hear that the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity, an established chapter at Case since 1905, was de-recognised by the University because of its past history and alcohol violations. It follows other sad stories of other chapters such as Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) which was kicked off-campus around 2003-2004, and they were founded at Case in 1876. It seems interesting to note that there was no coverage on FIJI being de-recognised by the University at that time. Another chapter was Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) fraternity which was ousted around 1994-95 for a series of violations. If you did not know, the Pikes trashed their house after they knew they were being kicked out. Ultimately, that house was repaired and renovated and became home to the Alpha Phi sorority.

Throughout the years, the Greek Life Judicial Board has tackled drug and alcohol violations, hazing, and other incidents. From time to time, chapters are found "responsible" for those actions and are sanctioned. These sanctions can range from required community service, risk management and alcohol seminars, dry parties, social probation, or even "going dry" permanently.

Yet besides all of this negativity which is figured prominently in the media, Greeks have contributed much to the University and the community. Our philanthropic efforts are second to none. Greeks tend to do better academically, and they are most likely to be involved with campus life and hold a leadership position. Somewhat recently, both Panhel and IFC were recognised nationally for their achievements and efforts at Case.

It would seem that the Greek image at Case is pretty good. Greek involvement has remained at around 30 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Yet, could the loss of SAE increase further scrutiny on the rest of the fraternities and sororities? It does not help the fact that Greeks have a negative stereotypical image across the country. We have all seen news stories of fraternities being suspended or kicked off campus for violations across a wide spectrum. In April 2006, a Phi Delta Gamma fraternity has been suspended by the University of Vermont because of homophobic hazing and underage drinking. In August, Theta Chi fraternity at Miami University at Oxford was suspended for hazing and underage drinking where a fellow student had to be taken to the hospital. At the beginning of this month, a SAE chapter at the University of Central Florida has been suspended when police found young men crawling on hands and knees, screaming profanity and wearing women's underwear, fairy wings, and a diaper at their house.

It should not be a surprise when a Case chapter does a pledge trip to another college or university, they would likely encounter a higher level of hazing and alcohol usage. If you try to compare a state school like OSU to Case, we look pretty tame to them.

So should Case Greek Life maintain strict adherence to its policies and regulations? To a certain degree, yes. I am aware that these rules are supposed to ensure the safety and well-being of students, but not to the point of assuming they are guilty until proven innocent, and not the other way around. I find the current judicial bylaws skewed to favor the prosecution. As such, the rights you would find in a regular courtman are not found in a greek judicial hearing. While I have been reminded that this is a private university and certain rights are not afforded to the defendant, then why hasn't it been changed to reflect that? Should it be time for a committee of students and faculty to review the existing judicial bylaws and see if any necessary changes should be made? Has there been any review of said bylaws in the past five years?

With so much legal scrutiny, some chapters are considering having closed parties or holding them off-campus. With the latter, it creates a more dangerous situation where there is no controlled risk management. But if you want to hold an open party, you got to follow the guidelines. Even though it is necessary and supposedly meets University, Greek Life, and FIPG regulations, it is certain to cause trouble for the fraternity or sorority if something goes wrong. I believe that these rules are even more complex and stringent than in years past. No wonder some groups just do not want to deal with it anymore.

I could still remember when the guidelines require fraternity members be limited to two guests at a party. Now, chapter houses are expected to hold 150 people. This previous rule was always cited as a charge against the Greek chapter. I find it unfair because it was a given that parties did violate the 2-person limit and it only comes up when an alcohol violation occurs.

Is it even possible to hold a perfect open party? Perhaps. That would depend on the security officer's report on the event. What remains unsaid is that there could be an off-chance of a report filed by a fellow GLA or judicial member that happened to be at the event. It is not a surprise there. Whether you can explain it could be a concerned student or some plainclothes police person, it is a possiblity to consider.

Having said all of this, it does not mean the rest of us are off the hook. We are expected to safeguard our chapter's well-being and trust one another in doing that. We should be fair and do our very best to preserve our accomplishments and our unique traditions.

But I also call upon Greek Life to be watchful but to be fair and reasonable. Trust is something that we all need to keep our wonderful Greek community together.