Greeks seek place for governing bodies

Members of the University's Greek system said this semester that they are struggling to find a place for their own governing structures within the larger community of the University. The issue, which involves several Greek-run umbrella groups, extends to a debate over the role of the Fraternity/ Sorority Advisory Board, which recommends settlements for judicial cases involving Greek organizations. The controversy stems from the decision made last summer by Vice Provost of University Life Kim Morrisson to suspend the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for two years because the group violated the University's pledging policies. In the PiKA case, the FSAB originally advised that the suspension last only one semester. But Morrisson based her ruling on a 1990 agreement between the University and PiKA that put the chapter on a two-year probation. The FSAB is composed of three Greek alumni, representatives of each of the three Greek umbrella organizations -- the InterFraternity Council, the Bi-cultural Intergreek Council, and the PanHellenic Council -- two members of the University faculty, and two ex officio staff members. Tricia Phaup, director of the Office of Fraternity/ Sorority Affairs said the board was designed to represent the entire University community. According to Phaup, who is also an ex officio FSAB member, the board, along with its arbitration duties, also advises Greek organizations. "[The FSAB] also offers strong feedback and positive ideas to strengthen the chapters," she said. Phaup said she thinks the FSAB is an integral part of the Greek system. "The FSAB has a really important role within a Greek system because there has to be accountability," she said. "The board holds our groups accountable." But InterFraternity Council President Jeffrey Blount said this month he thinks the current system should be changed to give Greeks more of a chance to govern themselves. "I think the FSAB has a purpose, but I would like to see the judicial process changed so we don't have all these boards doing things in different directions," Wharton senior Blount said. "Ideally, we would have a system where Greeks could govern themselves." Phaup said a self-governing Greek system would help fraternity and sorority members follow their own rules. "These [umbrella] groups have standards to hold the groups accountable, and groups that violate those standards hurt the Greek system in general," she said. Blount's vision of a self-governing Greek system relies heavily on the fledgling Greek Peer Judicial Board. The GPJB -- which was established last year -- is composed of members from each of the three Greek umbrella organizations and has yet to find its niche within the system. The GPJB was established in 1991 to handle cases in which a Greek organization is deemed collectively responsible for violating University policies. "The GPJB would like to work with OFSA, FSAB, and the JIO so they could learn all of the steps involved and gain and get more power to act on their own," the IFC president said. Both Blount and Phaup recognized that changing the process would take time. "We would like to empower the GPJB so that they can hold the system accountable," Phaup said. "We're still in a working relationship with the various University departments and the Greek system. We're still ironing things out. We're looking at how we'll empower them. It will be at least another year." Blount stressed the need for effective lines of communication among the various Greek watchdog groups to aid the process of understanding. "Communication between the different groups is the key," he said. "If each group works on its own, it is hard for the GPJB to do things. If the GPJB is allowed to work with those groups, to learn the procedures and the system and help communicate with the groups we can gain the experience we need to successfully govern ourselves and enforce our own policies." The violations for which PiKA was sanctioned include an unauthorized pledge trip, an after-hours pledge meeting, and the failure of chapter officers to act after finding out that some pledges were smoking marijuana. Many Greeks have said that the PiKA case was not handled fairly. They argue that, despite the previous agreement with the University, PiKA had improved its record to become the most decorated fraternity at the Greek Awards Banquet last April and may have deserved only the one-semester suspension that the FSAB recommended. PanHel President Debbie Frank, however, said that she acknowledges the importance of the probation agreement. And Phaup said the FSAB also recognizes that the probation agreement was binding. "The board met with the Vice-Provost for University Life and there's an understanding that the past agreement had to be recognized," she said. "When a group is on probation, any violation of University standards is an infraction of their probation," she continued. "So it's important that they recognize that they have to uphold the agreements and that they will be enforced."