Greek Privatization at U of Alabama

[shadokat]

I was reading this article from the U of Alabama that some history professor is proposing that the greek system at U of A be privatized. Basically, it says that the university would disaffiliate itself with the fraternities and sororities, buy their houses from them and build academic and administrative offices there, and basically let the fraternities and sororities fend for themselves if they want to exist as entities.

The professor went on to say that all the greek system at Alabama is is an exclusive social club and that the University should cut off all funding for it.

Anyone at Alabama know about this and care to comment? With a system as prestigious as U of A's, I would think this would get a lot of folks up in arms. Apparently this professor isn't aware of all the alums who donate money to the University that are Greek!!

[damasa]

Well, the professor is entitled to his opinion, but many legal issues come into play there. If they were to cut the greek system out of play (cut funding, recognition etc) they would be in danger of losing federal aid by denying students the right to association. I forget the exact bill that was passed, but it was passed by Clinton. Second, you can't force an organization to sell their house, unless it is leased from the univeristy (never really owned) or it is based within the campus lines. There are so many other factors that come into play, and that professor is wacked out if you ask me. That's terrible, not being in favor of allowing students the right to association. Who cares if it's social, social is fun :P

d

[Wine&Blue]

I'm tired of commenting on this one professor who is on a crusade to end greek life at Alabama. So no, no comment.

[AOIIAngel]

LOL, wine&blue, you must have been dealing with the professor for a while! That is horrible. But as strong as that greek system seems to be, I doubt one annoying professor(who probaly never got a bid) will destroy it!

[CrucialCrimson]

Even as a proud greek member, my opinion would depend on the current situation - if they are treated any differently than other student organizations I might disagree, but if they are already given preferential treatment then they should be brought in line. For example, does the chess club have a house on campus??? If the school is leasing them property on campus grounds then they can do a lot to curb or control greek activity.

[Wine&Blue]

Originally posted by CrucialCrimson
Even as a proud greek member, my opinion would depend on the current situation - if they are treated any differently than other student organizations I might disagree, but if they are already given preferential treatment then they should be brought in line. For example, does the chess club have a house on campus??? If the school is leasing them property on campus grounds then they can do a lot to curb or control greek activity.

Yes, many non-greek organizations have on campus housing, including, but not necessarily limited to:
Arts and Science Mentoring group
Blount Undergraduates
Business Students Organizations
Engineering Students Organizations
Mallet Assembly
Honors Program
Women's Honors Program

[DeltAlum]

It's an interesting way of trying to distance the University from the liability that comes with hazing and alcohol issues, isn't it?

DeltAlum

[33girl]

I think right now they are more concerned with trying to be politically correct as far as diversity is concerned rather than giving a crap about hazing and/or alcohol. Jagoffs.

I just have to ask, what in the world is Mallet Assembly? All I can picture is, well, a bunch of guys with mallets sitting around hitting the floor.

Speaking of UA, I did a search on Melody Twilley's name one day and found an essay she had written about her hero (it was the first black woman who went to Bama). She made it VERY clear that her goal is to integrate the Greek system there - she definitely came off as having an agenda, and not as the wide-eyed innocent "I liked them and thought they would like me" in some of the newspaper stories.

[DeltAlum]

Geez 33,

Don't you know nuthin'?

Mallet Assembly (Mu Alpha) is an Indusrial Arts Honorary Coed Fraternity for people who build little wooden hammers.

You can tell their pledges because they all have bunches of little red bumps on their heads.

You must know something, though, because you gave a perfect description of their Ritual.

Wise up.

DeltAlum

[33girl]

Are you busting my chops?

Seriously, what in the world is Mallet Assembly? I've never heard of it.

[bolingbaker]

It's not just Greeks they hate. Most faculties would vote to eliminate football, if they had the power to do it. It's not true of all professors - probably not even most - but there is a culture within universities, fueled by the remanents of the Viet-Nam era students who hid out in graduate school and then opted to stay on in the Tower, and protected by the unfortunate anachronism of Tenure. Outspoken faculty tend to be anti-greek, anti-(big time) athletics, and anti-anything that interferes with the idyllic, left wing fantasy world within which they have wrapped themselves for the last forty years. The faculty has influence, but they have no power to eliminate Greeks, no matter how many votes they take. It is against the law for an administration to do so on a public campus, and under the 1998 law, it may be illegal to do so on private campuses as well. But, they can bully, and raise hell, and issue bogus 'studies' and manifests and generally try to make life miserable for the students who are the achievers and future business and professional leaders. These faculty don't like Greeks because they simply hate the traditional, conservative culture that created these organizations. The solution is for alumni to organize and move to protect their chapters' legal standing, to counsel and advise the chapters on appropriate behavior, and to make their case directly to the university admninistrations which have responsibility for the financial well-being of the institutions.

[carnation]

Concerning the last post, I'd like to say as a longtime college professor: Yeah! You hit the nail on the head and I'm tired of aging hippie professors messing with a system that doesn't even infringe on them the least. They just want to make a name for themselves.

Super post!

[DeltAlum]

33,

I wouldn't bust your chops even if I knew how to assemble a mallet.

Which I don't, so I guess I can't be a member of the Mallet Assembly. Whatever the hell it is.

DeltAlum

[Wine&Blue]

LOL at the Mallet Assembly discussion. Seriously, Mallet Assembly is an independent group of male students who made above a certain score on the ACT or SAT. They are not the regular school sponsored Honor Society. Not sure what exactly they do as a group, but they do live on campus. Every conversation I've attempted to have with any of them, no matter how it starts, comes back around to Star Trek or the latest in the Star Wars series.

[Bama_Alumna]

The University can't really "privatize" the greek system without shooting itself in the foot. There are so many prestigous UA greek alumni who support the University (for example: the Governor and U.S. Congressmen & Senator, as well as wealthy businessmen & women). The University can't afford to make those people mad.
Plus, the University doesn't own the fraternity/sorority houses. The organizations own their own houses. The University owns the land that the houses are built on, and they lease the land to the organizations at a low rate. The only thing they could do is raise the lease rate to something completely unreasonable OR refuse to lease the land at all. Because the greek system at UA is so powerful, I sincerely doubt that the University administration wants to risk losing all control over the greeks, along with donations from greek alumni.
On another note, I've been told that the Administrator is *very* angry at the faculty senate and this professor in particular for bringing so much bad publicity to the University.
Just my two cents...