What does the future hold?
 

I thought this article was pretty well thought out and reported.

Morning Call
Allentown, PA
April 27, 2003

Finding frats' future;
As students take less interest in Greek life, colleges try to remake
their systems.

By Christina Gostomski Of The Morning Call


It's Saturday night at Muhlenberg College and the party has just begun.

Students slinging six-packs of beer and wearing T-shirts emblazoned
with Greek letters pour into a cafe-turned-dance hall where deafening
music blares. At the door, a hired security company checks students'
identification, takes their beer or wine and in return issues up to
six tickets they can redeem for each drink. That's the most they
drink tonight.

There's no such thing as unlimited alcohol. The party is in a campus
dining hall instead of a fraternity house. And chaperones -- from
hired security to campus police and college staff -- are everywhere.

Welcome to the new Greek life.

With colleges increasingly shutting down fraternities for misconduct
and interest in Greek life waning at some schools, students and
administrators are looking for ways -- such as the dining hall party
-- to keep students on campus. At the same time, colleges want to
remake fraternities' bad boy image.

But changing a generations-old Greek system takes more than chaperoned parties.

Earlier this year, Muhlenberg shut down one of its fraternities, Tau
Kappa Epsilon, after allegations of underage drinking and sexual and
simple assault were made against some of the fraternity's members.

Lafayette College is investigating one of its fraternities, Theta
Chi, on charges of violating the school's alcohol policy.

And Kutztown and Lehigh universities spent the past year reviewing
their entire Greek systems. Their findings -- scheduled to be
released this week -- will determine the future of fraternities and
sororities on the area's two largest college campuses.

All six area colleges with Greek life have suspended or sanctioned
fraternities in the past five years. Muhlenberg's suspension of Tau
Kappa Epsilon marks the latest bout of fraternity problems where
hazing, underage drinking and alcohol abuse perpetually plague Greek
life.

In the last three years, Muhlenberg suspended three of its five
fraternities, including Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Tau Omega, all of
which had been charged with underage drinking or hazing.

In October 1997, 146 East Stroudsburg students were arrested at a
three-keg basement beer bash which resulted in the national Phi Sigma
Kappa fraternity severing its ties to the chapter.

At Lehigh University, two fraternity brothers were hospitalized after
alcohol-related balcony falls during the 2001-02 academic year. Last
fall, 26 Lehigh students received hospital treatment as a result of
alcohol-related incidents at Greek houses.

At Kutztown University, at least three fraternity students reportedly
broke into the apartment of another student in November and beat his
head and face with boards torn from wall shelving because they
thought he stole a fraternity paddle.

And in 2000, Moravian College suspended Omicron Gamma Omega
fraternity for three years for holding a party where alcohol shots
were sold and minors were served. The party was held three days after
the the college lifted a temporary alcohol ban at the fraternity for
another alcohol violation.

The crackdown on "Animal House" behavior is taking a toll. Muhlenberg
students complain that with only two fraternities able to hold
alcoholic parties, there aren't enough social events on campus.

"When you take something away, you have to fill that gap with
something," said Muhlenberg senior Justin Hyde, adding that students
party more frequently off campus at local bars and at apartments
rented by students.

The result, he said, is a strained relationship between students and
the neighborhood.

"It's crazy right now because there are all these students wandering
around the community at night and being disruptive because there's
nothing to do down on the hill," he said. Greek houses at Muhlenberg
and Lehigh are on hills, and students on both campuses say they are
"going to the hill" when referring to frat parties.

Without the social benefits of fraternities, the percentage of men
selecting Greek life is shrinking. Nationally, the number of men
joining fraternities has remained stable throughout the past decade,
but since more students are attending college, the percentage of
students pledging has decreased, said Peter Smithhisler, spokesman
for the North-American Interfraternity Conference, an umbrella group
of 67 national fraternities.

In 2001-02, 32 percent of Lehigh students who rushed fraternities and
were offered bids declined. The most common reasons for their
decision were fear grades would suffer and a dislike of living
conditions at the fraternity houses, which aren't as modernized as
some residence halls.

Furthermore, only 72 percent of fraternity members agreed to live in
their fraternity houses, leaving 250 beds empty. That created a
financial burden for some chapters that rely on student rent.

In the past five years, Greek membership declined from 35 percent to
25 percent at Muhlenberg. In the past 15 years, it's dropped from 30
percent to 21 percent at Moravian College in Bethlehem. At Lafayette,
the percentage of students participating in Greek life has remained
around 30 percent for the past five years. However, five of the
Easton college's fraternities, including several which struggled with
low occupancy rates, have closed in the last 10 years.

Most colleges set occupancy requirements for Greek houses. In 1997,
Moravian closed Sigma Phi Omega as a result of recruitment problems.

Eliot Sokalsky, assistant director of residence life at Lafayette,
said students in recent years have increasingly focused on starting
successful careers or gaining admittance to graduate schools and
don't always believe fraternity life fits into those plans.

"From the minute they get to campus they concentrate on what they
need to do to be successful and they think the Greek system is not
there to help them reach their goals," he said.

Compounding Greek organizations' recruiting problems is a surplus of
other campus activities where students can bond, said John Smeaton,
vice provost of student affairs at Lehigh University. Many include
residential options in direct competition with frat houses such as
dorms devoted to particular hobbies or majors.

"They have a lot of choices now," Smeaton said.

Dwindling Greek numbers are not necessarily good news for colleges.
Graduation and retention rates for fraternity members tend to be
higher than that of the general student population. Furthermore, as
fraternities close -- voluntarily or otherwise -- some alumni cut
their contributions.

Although area schools do not track giving by Greek alumni, college
officials said they receive complaints when fraternities are closed.

"It's problematic in terms of giving," said Chris Marshall, executive
director of Lehigh's alumni association.

So college officials are calling for change. Last fall Lehigh
University hired NPower, an Indianapolis consulting firm, to spend
the year reviewing its Greek system. The consultant's report will
provide observations about Lehigh and information about how other
schools deal with Greek life.

"Lehigh, like many universities and colleges, has a long Greek
tradition, and in recent years, particularly the past five to 10
years, we've seen less and less student interest in Greek life," said
President Gregory Farrington. He said he hopes more alumni and
faculty involvement in the fraternity system will fix some problems.

"Students need positive role models to learn leadership and what
Greek life is all about. When done well, fraternities and sororities
can make positive contributions to Greek life," he said.

A 15-member task force of students, faculty, alumni and staff, and
led by Joe Sterrett, an alumnus and fraternity brother, will use
NPower's observations to make recommendations to strengthen Lehigh's
Greek system.

Sterrett said he believes fraternities and sororites need "to get
back to their core values" such as community service and campus
leadership.

"There are not a whole lot of people who have figured out how to do
it well yet," he said. "And so there is real opportunity for
leadership on this campus."

Kutztown University also is completing a year-long review of its
Greek system, but unlike at Lehigh, officials are making no
guarantees of keeping fraternities and sororities.

If Kutztown bans Greek life, it will be the first area school to do
so. In the past, colleges have shied from shutting down entire
systems. Local schools without Greek life -- Cedar Crest College and
DeSales University -- never had fraternities or sororities.

"We're at a real crossroads as an institution with this," said Doreen
Tobin, Kutztown associate vice president for student affairs. She
said the college is weighing Greek life pros, such as providing an
outlet for developing leadership skills, and cons, such as creating
liabilities for the school, to determine what is needed to make
fraternities and sororities sustainable.

Three percent of Kutztown students are members of Greek chapters.

"Greeks are a high-risk area. They need support if they are going to
do this," she said, adding that the organizations need more
universitiy funding and professional support, such as advisers, in
order to thrive.

What's happening in the Lehigh Valley is part of a national trend of
Greek life evaluations that began a decade ago, said Smithhisler. In
the early 1990s, faced with dwindling interest, low occupancy rates
and in some cases lawsuits resulting from misbehavior by Greek
members, many fraternities and colleges began weighing the advantages
and disadvantages of their systems.

In March 2001, Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., eliminated Greek
houses, requiring students to move out of homes and into dormitories.
The following month, Santa Clara University in California began a
two-year process of shutting down its Greek system.

In 2002, the University of Oregon banned alcohol in fraternity
houses. That same year, Alfred University in New York eliminated its
Greek system after a student found dead in February had reportedly
been beaten by two fraternity members.

"The primary question they [colleges] asked is, what's the purpose of
Greek life in a campus environment?" Smithhisler said.

Although banning Greek organizations isn't new -- some schools have
done it for decades -- the emphasis on raising the stakes for
fraternities in terms of grades and community service has recently
swelled, Smithhisler said.

Additionally, some national fraternities are trying to change their
chapters by requiring more community service and setting alcohol
restrictions similar to some sororities.

The no-alcohol policy has enabled sororities to escape many of the
closings and problems plaguing fraternities. When sororities play
host to parties, they frequently hold them at fraternities where
alcohol can be served.

"Fraternities get in trouble more because they're the ones that have
social events," said Muhlenberg College Panhellenic president
Jennifer Yateman.

Now, 11 national fraternities have opted to become alcohol-free in
the past decade, meaning they cannot have alcohol in their houses but
can serve alcohol at parties they host elsewhere. However, they will
exempt some chapters that meet certain standards, such as earning
good grades.

"I think things are evolving," said Kevin Worthen, assistant dean of
students and director of student life administration at Lafayette
College. "I think people at the national level recognize that if they
don't change to meet the market demand, they will likely continue to
see their numbers decline."



So, how do you expect your Nationals, Chapter and school to react to things in the future? Is the Greek System doomed, in for huge changes or will it still be status quo?

Many of you know my thoughts.

D A, Thanx!

All I have to say on this sad situation! I know that you know that I know what you mean!:(

Kutztown???
 

OK, Eastern PAers tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought Lafayette was hella bigger than Kutztown. Plus that - Kutztown is part of the State System schools. They're not private - they can't just outright ban fraternities. Are they stupid to not know that?

hmm, I go to Muhlenberg...interesting article but no comment at the moment except to say that some things in the article are not entirely true. Most of it is true but there are a few minor errors.

33girl, Lafayette is pretty small but i don't know how it compares to Kutztown. Lehigh is the biggest school in the area.

lionlove,
when did they start saying "going to the hill?" i know i graduated from muhlenberg 5 years ago...but we NEVER said that!!! and we had more fraternities there then!!!!

personally, i blame the decline in greek participation at berg to the sophomore deferment. i rushed in 1995 when berg first started the sophomore deferment and a mandatory 4 week pledge period. many people didn't want to rush because they already had their "groups" to hang out with.

i don't know much about the greek systems at the other area schools, other than i had some fun up on the hill at lehigh ;)

lol, I've never heard it being called the hill either. DTD and AEPi aren't even on the hill, just PKT and SigEp. In other news, ATO is supposed to start recolonizing soon and TKE's suspension was lowered so greek life at Muhlenberg will be making a come back. Of course ATO and TKE will have to be dry and people will bitch about that.

I think that Lafayette has fewer than 4,000 students. At least they did a few years ago. :)

My neighbor graduated from Lehigh three years ago. They had cracked down on underage drinking back then according to him.

Thanks all, I must have gotten confused. It's Lafayette's tuition that is hella bigger than Kutztown's. ;)

That's a fact! I was accepted to Lafayette :) without a scholarship :( which I needed, so I went to a state school instead. Four years at a state school equaled three semesters at Lafayette. Damn Lafayette. :mad: I'm over it, really. :rolleyes:

i always liked to party at lehigh bc this one particular fraternity we would go to had a pre-party and they served cheese and other horderves. it was pretty "classy" back in those days!

:D

Well written article indeed. I would have added that the Moravian local, Omicron Gamma Omega, has now returned to campus after some cleaning up and re-organizing by their alumni group. I believe they formed some kind of organization withing the group to keep from being forced to become a National in order to return to campus. Hopefully the greek system here keeps improving and growing!

Lehigh I think is still a favorite place to go...provided we find a DD to get to and from there!

It's been my observation that de-emphasizing the alcohol aspect of Greek life does a couple of things. Students don't drink any less - but they do it in the bars and in the dorm rooms. If schools don't watch out, they'll be forced to confront the truth that drinking isn't a Greek problem, it's a *student* problem.

I think the Greek system may initially shrink a bit as those who are joining it for the keggers stop, and it will take a while before the people who would join for networking/brotherhood/career/self-improvement reasons to realize that Greek life is for them. Eventually I think the system will end up stronger.

Before I graduated, several fraternities went dry at my campus. The results were mixed - the "nerd" house was not impacted but the "lush" house was. I think as more houses go all or partially dry, the remaining ones will have increased risk management problems and pressure to go dry themselves.

As for my org, AXD (like all national sororities) is already dry, and we have some of the toughest rules about things like 3rd party vendors and alcohol at mixers. It would be hard for us to get much more dry. ;) Except that, as sorority women, we've been getting a free ride off the fraternities for years - we drink at their houses, maybe in their letters, on their dime, including the not-insignificant risk management dime. In actuality the men have been footing the bill for Greek men and women for years.

That's very insightful.

I guess it's just advantageous how past behavior/tradition plays into the hands of liability law:D

I wonder if in the end we'll have to legislate chivalry away so that we get a fair slice of the risk-management pie?

Amen! When I got to college, I was reluctant to rush because of the alcohol aspects. After a year or so, I realized that nearly every college student drinks. Greek drinking just stands out more. After all, who are you going to notice: a bunch of fraternity/sorority people in a big party bus, or a bunch of random folks driving to a kegger in separate cars?

FuzzieAlum,

Pardon my editing of your post. I will try not to take anything out of context.

I think you are absolutely right on target with your comments -- as those who have read through numerous of my long winded posts and replies in the past will already know.

Regarading your first point above, this, I think, is another way of saying that by returning to our organizations core values, we can only grow stronger in the long run. I'm not aware of any organization's Ritual that's built around drinking and partying. And, no, I'm not saying parties should be banned -- they just shouldn't be the main reason for pledging.

I have argued your second point ad-naseum. The fact is that risk management issues -- mainly rising insurance costs -- are the single biggest danger to the fraternity system.

Finally, the Risk Management information I receive in different levels as an alumni volutneer -- from Chapter Advisor to Division Vice President -- confirm your final comment. Unfortunately, this includes damage caused directly or indirectly by (sorority and other) women at fraternity parties. By that I mean actual damage to facilities, as well as normal wear and tear -- and the alcohol and other costs of the parties. That was a shock to me, but the percentage of insurance claims is substantial. And, beyond physical damage, there are the claims from personal accidents, etc.

That is, perhaps, another good reason to move the parties to outside locations.

Thank you for your very enlightened post.