Quote:
Originally posted by Firehouse
madmax: I am not making myself clear. The University has no legal grounds to withdraw recognition, 5-Star program or no, and the University absolutely doesn't have the legal right to forbid any student from joining 'unrecognized groups'. If they were to do so, then the student could sue the University and individual administrators for civil rights violations, and ask for punitive damages. Student organizations do have responsibilities, and we should take them seriously, but at a public University, they are not even allowed to keep a new fraternity or sorority from coming onto the campus. Any group that challenges such a restriction, from IFC or any other, will win.
I have no animosity toward my university or any other, but let me tell you this truth: the power of any administrator is magnified by the ingorance of the students and the laxness of alumni. They actually have relatively little power. Their strength is that they know you don't know that. There doesn't have to be a war between students and administrations, but the answer to bullying and little 'tin-God' mid-level administrators is to simply say 'No". You'd be amazed.
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Firehouse...
I think that is easier said than done. When chapters say no and continue to legally operate off campus some universities simply pass rules that prohibit students from joining unrecognized organizations. The University of Delaware even sends out letters to incoming freshman and their parents informing them that it is "illegal" to pledge unrecongized organizations.
http://www.udel.edu/student-centers/...s/recruit.html
Here is a quote from another public university student handbook, "According to the regulations for pledging in a social Greek organization, only recognized fraternities and sororities may pledge students that have met the schools requirements. Executive board officers of Greek organizations that fail to adhere to this requirement will face a campus judicial hearing and be subject to possible probation, suspension or expulsion.
There are many schools that have similar policies. Do you know of any chapters that have sued and actually won punitive damages? I don't.
When the GLO is in the right, they are still screwed because nobody wants to hire a lawyer and pay legal bills when they are probably going to graduate in a year or two.