Pledges balance academics, Greek commitments

Though pledging has long been considered a stressful and time-consuming period for new Greek members, pledges say they are balancing their academic lives with their Greek commitments. Despite the rigors of midterm examinations, several pledges have reported little or no change in their academic records. Pi Kappa Alpha pledge Frank O'Neill said participating in new member education and lightweight crew is "forcing" him to use all his free time for studying. The College freshman said his fraternity encourages academic success by demanding that pledges attend two study hall sessions per week and by not making the pledges to attend a fraternity event the night before an exam. And Wharton freshman and Tau Epsilon Phi pledge David Lerner said pledging has forced him to manage his time more effectively, since TEP also provides study hours. "I'm doing just as well this semester as last semester," Lerner said, adding that he studies in between classes. "My [midterm] grades have stayed about the same since [then]." Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs officials said over 10 hours a week of pledging activity, excluding study hours, violates the University's hazing policy. "All students are here to obtain a quality education," said Larry Moses, program director for the BiCultural InterGreek Council. "There are parameters [as to how many hours can be spent on new member education]." And OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said there have been no complaints from faculty about students who are noticeably slipping in their classes. Though he called new member education a "substantial" time commitment, InterFraternity Council President Mark Metzl, a College junior, said, "Everyone does realize that academics come first." "I don't think that [new Greeks] get any more or less sleep than other freshmen," the Tau Epsilon Phi brother added. And several residential advisors agreed that the rigors of pledging have thus far not taken a toll on their hall residents. Spruce Street College House Resident Advisor Amy Raphael said her residents have not been "complaining" about pledge requirements but instead have "accepted that they are not going to sleep until [Spring] Fling." Raphael, a College senior, added that new member education has strengthened her residents' organizational skills, citing a female pledge who finished a paper five days before the due date. Other RAs said they have observed residents' difficulty in meeting academic goals but maintained that pledging has not taken a substantial toll. Goldberg RA Gaurab Bansal, a College junior, said his Greek residents -- who constitute over 50 percent of his hall -- "have bemoaned the fact that they have not done as well [on midterms] as they had liked? but they have still done well" and are refining their time-management skills. While Bansal noted that his residents were motivated to improve their midterm grades, College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean for Academic Advising Deborah Burnham said that in her experience, "sometimes [pledges] tend not to seek help" and "what we see at the end of the semester is lower grades." Though many pledges said they were tired from numerous Greek meetings and events, they said they felt healthy otherwise. Acting Director of Student Health Evelyn Wiener, who has witnessed 12 pledging periods in her tenure at Penn, said Wednesday that "it's pretty common that a patient will tell us if they're [in the midst of pledging]," and that it is not clear "that people who are pledging represent a disproportionate number of patients being seen."

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