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Alfred
I also am a member of the Alfred sorority Alpha Kappa Omicron. I want to state for people on the outside looking at this situation that, yes, it looks bad. The Alfred Greek system has never been perfect. Do I agree with what happened in 1978? Absolutely not! It should have been dealt with then, not almost 25 years down the road. Do I agree with what happened this past year, with the death of an Alfred ZBT brother? Again, absolutely not! Do I understand the university's position about liability? Yes. As an alumnus I can say that I loved Alfred when I went there. I don't ever want my school to have a bad reputation. However, what made part of my days there so special was my participation in Greek life. I am thankful that the university recognized that the Greek community does make good contributions to the community. But I don't think that eliminating the system was the answer.
Our greek alumni donate a lot of money to the university and make up a large percentage of the people that come back for alumni events at the college. We provide large amounts of community service to give back to our community. Yes, our numbers are small compared to other campuses. But I feel that we have been battling a system that has made narrower and narrower rules, without really working with us. The assurances that if we keep our noses clean and follow the rules, we will be fine, were obviously not backed up by much. We have been trying to work with the university. However, I think that everyone is more apt to point the finger at the most recent incident and to say that our organizations have gone down hill.
What is to happen to our house, that we have OWNED since 1949. Many of the structures in town are old and carry a lot of history. We do not want to lose either. At this point the university has made their decision. I am sure that there will be a lot of lost tempers and many rash decisions in the days to follow. I am sad, but I also have hope that we can continue to exist and maybe improve upon the good that already is within our system.
We have fears that the university and the town will want to abolish the system completely. In the university's letter they state that they will have to make a decision whether students with be allowed to live in their houses. How can they do this when most of us own the stuctures? I am asking members of other greek organizations, whose campuses have gone through similar situations for some advice on where we go from here? Will the fraternities and sororities still be allowed to exist by their nationals? Will locals even have a chance if they aren't nationally affiliated?
I would appreciate any help on this matter. And please don't be so quick to judge the whole by the actions of a few. Thanks,
Jennifer
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