I Heart Committees and Plans (Berkeley)
 

Not to be too cynical, and, you know, OMGSPQRFDIC this is so exciting, but a ten-year plan and process? Best wishes to them in their endeavors, and I honestly hope that they're able to achieve some useful changes / improvements.

http://www.dailycal.org/article/1066...evamp_greek_sy

. . . A coordinating committee composed of students, Berkeley community members and Greek alumni is working to finalize plans for the UC Berkeley Fraternity and Sorority Life Strategic Planning Process.

The plan would guide the campus Greek community through a 10-year process aimed at addressing all aspects of fraternity and sorority life, according to Grahaeme Hesp, campus director of fraternity and sorority life. . . .

I share your cynicism.

Why the cynicism?

What is supposed to be the alternative if there is no strategic plan?

I would believe that the cynicism comes from a ten year plan being implemented on a college campus. Someone who is a freshman now would be an alumnae 6 years out of school by the time they reach the deadline. It's rather difficult to keep up the same fire and passion about these goals when the group that started them is no longer present.

Yes.

There's also the notion of addressing "every aspect" of Greek life. That could be a heckuva lot of issues, a hellacious amount of detail, and in my opinion could lead to people feeling overwhelmed and burned out, no matter how enthusiastic they were at the outset.

Ten-year plans are implemented on college campuses all the time. They are also usually considered living documents, so when there is a "check-in" in five years, another group of students helps to reassess the goals, along with staff, faculty, and alumni.

I dunno, this seems like non-news to me.

"The plan will be the guiding document over the next 10 years," Hesp said. "It will determine the core purposes and values of the Greek community, especially in light of the budget situation."

I read that as there are probably those within the university that don't want to spend university money on things like Greek Life Coordinators etc. if greeks don't demonstrate a public commitment to their own core purposes and values. A not so subtle message there that if you don't provide quality programming and make the university look good, and the university has to deal with a bunch of greek related problems...there are plenty that despise us enough to use any opportunity they can to shut it down.

Yep.

Unless stated as such, many changes on college campuses aren't implemented with the current (or even next) class of students in mind.

Hence, the 10 year plan.

Hasn't this Hesp dude been at a shitload of different schools? Job security perchance?

Cynically,
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