Greeks sign plan for future

The 21st Century Report will reorganize Greek life on campus, leaders said. Members of the Panhellenic, InterFraternity and BiCultural InterGreek councils signed the 21st Century Report for an Ivy League Greek System yesterday, in the presence of University administrators and representatives of the three Greek organizations. The report outlines new initiatives and highlights current programs in eight areas -- including academics, community service, technology, security and community partnership. But because each organization details its own needs, the initiatives in the report are not uniform for the groups. Panhel President and College senior Jessica Schreck called the report "groundbreaking work." "We are three very dedicated groups coming together to establish our vision for the future," she said. "We're thinking about our past, present and future and what needs to be done." Members said the report reflects the differing needs and goals of the three organizations. "It symbolizes our collaboration amongst each other, but it also highlights differences among our organizations, and the different needs and goals we have," said Big-C President and Wharton senior George Holt. Specific initiatives include programs to increase faculty interaction, such as selection of a faculty advisor. "We want to get to know faculty outside of the classroom," Schreck said. "It's a process of mutual education." University President Judith Rodin added that the "ambitious" plan serves as a model for Greek life nationwide. "I am enthusiastic about the efforts, and I look forward to seeing it implemented," she said. Contributors say they aimed to align the themes of their report with the University's Agenda for Excellence -- a five-year strategic plan established last fall. "Our cornerstones -- including academics, community service and community partnership -- are reflective of the University's goals," IFC President and College senior Josh Gottheimer said. "What's most important in this report is implementation," Gottheimer added. But only the IFC section of the report describes an implementation plan and set of guidelines. After a preliminary version of the report was issued last April, a process of feedback from the University and national Greek communities followed. University faculty, the office of the Vice Provost for University Life and the Greek organizations' executive boards offered input, along with fraternity and sorority national advisers. And a summit of representatives from about 18 national chapters reviewed the report last spring. "Our report sets the pace for Greek life around the country," Gottheimer said. Schreck explained that the incorporation of many perspectives completed the vision of the report. While the report represents a collaborative effort in its authorship, each organization detailed diverse initiatives and procedures to accomplish its goals. For example, while Panhel focuses on current initiatives, the IFC outlines specific plans for the future. "We want to help people to understand what we do and who we are," Schreck said. "This includes showing the amount of education and support that goes on in our houses." And while Panhel and IFC emphasize community service initiatives, the Big-C -- composed of eight traditionally service organizations -- will continue its current projects. Holt said his organization focuses mainly on facilities in its report. "We really have a desire to acquire housing and to work with the University to acquire housing on campus," he said. Some initiatives from the report have already reached stages of implementation. In September, the IFC began preliminary phases of the Greek Safe Houses plan, a safety program which would designate on- and off-campus fraternity houses as havens for students. And as part of the technology section of the report, a $350,000 loan from the University supported the GreekNet initiative to wire all of the University Greek houses for ResNet. The IFC implementation programs include a 21st Century Committee and the addition of a Vice President for 21st Century Planning to the IFC executive board. Their report also provides for a 21st Century Implementation Board, with the power to hand out sanctions to chapters who fail to comply with the mandated policies in the report.