Colorado cojones en cajones--

[Erik P Conard]

Keep your eyes on the U of Colorado and other Colorado campi,
specifically CSU and U Northern Colorado.
The press is having a heyday.
The kids do not seem to grasp the word "no."
The Greek alumni need to step up and make a demand or two
The cojones have been neatly placed in cajones and it may be a
long time 'fore it is resolved.
The Greek housing is shrinking, the graveyard of chapters is nigh
on full, and CU is hardly the party school the outsiders think.
While revivals seem to be outnumbering the closures (finally) it
ought to occur to some Phi Betes that there's merit in being a Greek. Fifty years ago I thought so, and I have not abandoned it

[AOII*Azra-elle]

I'm trying to think of why they would be looking at the U. of Nothern Colorado and not University of Denver. I think only one major incident has happened with the UNC greek life in the last 5 years and it wasn't even anything to do with drinking or hazing. Hmmm.

[Erik P Conard]

You have not dug far enough. I served on the TKE board 'til it's
closure. The chapter had for years been tops on campus and it
had upwards of 120 actives in the '50s. Sig Ep was the big rival;
they are gone now--maybe they will return in the future, too.
The TKE's fell on hard times, split; SAE and Sigma Chi came on and
managed to replace us...There were three former TKE field men on
the UNC board. We managed to get the chapter debt-free, got
grades up, size to about 50, but the last two years there were a
goodly number of alcohol incidents, hushed up by the school, and
the brouhaha, fights and computer thefts were the last straw. It
was us, the Board, who closed 'em up, after over 50 years at the
school, and 999 initiates. We will likely return, but UNC is not a
model Greek system. Housing is horrible.
I've been advisor, board member, founder or visited over 150 Teke chapters....Greeley was the only one I voted to close. Sad.
Perhaps it will some day emerge, but not soon.

[g41965]

Erik:

DU just closed its chapter at University of Northern Colorado after several years of low achievement, UNC greeks are not strong.

[Erik P Conard]

Thanks, Glenn, for the DU news, bad though it was. But, friend,
it is really tough to meet month after month, year after year, with
guys who look you in the eye and say one thing, do another. I
was horrified at the Greek situation at Greeley and the school has
no clue, most in charge were not greeks or at least seem not to
have any understanding. Imagine...houses on campus for fifty years, still renting hovels...some rented from the University.
There have been several who've either folded or are close to
at UNC now...AKL, KA, Theta Xi, Kappa Sig. No cigar here...
The U of Denver is, too, a graveyard, but UNC is HARDLY in the
same league. DU is private, much more scholarly, has tremendous
housing. Sig Ep, TKE, Pike, ATO are gone, plus several jewish ones but some of them gobbled up by the Zebes. I look for the
aforementioned four to return. There are about half a dozen more of lesser prominence who've left in the past fifty years, but
again, DU is prospering, Greek wise, has size, housing and better
manners. The school is nearing the "MIT of the rockies" rep.
CO schools with NO greeks left include Mesa, Western. Adams;
possibly will revive. Southern CO has struggling greeks and the
systems at Mines & Col College are just so-so. Attempts at the
entrance of Metro and Johnson & Wales remain to be seen, but
they will be no great shakes in anyone's book IF they succeed.
Free survey compliments of Uncle Erik, TKE

[AOII*Azra-elle]

Originally posted by g41965
Erik:

DU just closed its chapter at University of Northern Colorado after several years of low achievement, UNC greeks are not strong.

You don't know how true that statement is.



I knew about what happened with the TKE's. I have some very close friends that went alum after the chapter was closed that weren't involved in the last incident.

UNC greek system is struggling, and it has been going downhill the last few years. The university really hasn't stepped in when it needed to, but neither have houses advisors or (inter)nationals. I know they've changed recruitment around the last 2 years, and it's been okay, but it could definately be better. Kappa Sigma has actually lasted longer than most thought, and the guys do work hard. I know they are trying to get their numbers up. KA never did anything on campus. We knew they were there but they never showed themselves, so unless you knew them, you wouldn't know they were there. DU closed for reasons other than low numbers, but I won't get into that. Most of the houses on campus, fraternities and sororities, have alot of internal problems. When they are brought up with advisors, those advisors just turn the other way and let them keep happening.

[trojangal]

How is the Greek life now at the School of Mines? My uncle was an ATO there back in the day....he said the groups were small, but very committed.

Comments?

[AngieWashU]

The fraternities at Colorado College are surviving, but could use alumni intervention. As a sorority adviser, I hear about lots of hazing and inappropriate alcoholic parties. I hope they get some help soon--the administration certainly won't be helping them.

[AOII*Azra-elle]

I think all (inter)nationals for any houses in Colorado really need to step up. The time to do it is now! CU seems to be in the forefront of everything bad that is going on, and not just with greek life, but sports as well. I know that there is stuff that goes on at DU, CSU, and UNC--as well as other schools. But, instead of turning and looking the other way, these organizations need to be educating their orgs on hazing, alcohol, and whatnot! I know UNC has or is in the process of adopting non-hazing policies. But, it's not even just that--the alcohol abuse, the drug abuse, the other various things that happen in the houses that are kept under wraps, need to end before they come to a head!

[Erik P Conard]

Though not a Colorado alumnus, I echo the AOPi's concern and hope it does not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The departure of housemothers wrought havoc across the USA in
that they demanded...and got...a modicum of decorum. With them
gone plus a period of social change, the almost complete collapse
of supervision, we are on the edge of a gloomy future.
Alums my age, and younger, have soured on their chapters and it
will be incumbent on the undergrads to be smart enough to know
how to bring 'em back, have regular board meetings and an active
chapter advisor, not just a "wink-wink" one. The dorms are out of
control, too, with supervisors either afraid or too gutless to do
what they are hired to do. But when was the last time you heard
of closing a dorm or putting it on 'double secret probation?'
Oh, yes, the alums older than me...they are dead.
On some campuses the problem is magnified as sororities, the
so-called dry ones, frequent the men's houses, drink there, and
perhaps die there. This is no help either.
Perhaps the Phi Mu critic can come up with something cutesy or
nice to resolve all this. It is indeed time to act.

[Tom Earp]

Is this just the typical symptems of Greek Life or just typical of Colorado Schools.

It really seems that the whole educational thinking on a Higher level have their Heads in the sand.

The Colleges cannot seem to have a stratagy in place to work with greeks. Hands of, Greeks have gone wild, now they want to dictate and not really work with them.

This whole State system seems to be short circuted and short sighted.

I am seeing reports of Recruiting of LXA Chapters and it is unbeleivable the Numbers. This is happening at Schools all over with the exception of Co. Schools.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Erik P Conard

Alums my age, and younger, have soured on their chapters and it
will be incumbent on the undergrads to be smart enough to know
how to bring 'em back, have regular board meetings and an active
chapter advisor, not just a "wink-wink" one.

I can only echo Erik's comment. When I became active (not in the traditional Greek sense of pledge, active, alum) in Colorado, I was shocked to be told by an international officer that Delt had absolutely no interest in recolonizing at Colorado. I was even more shocked when alums of the former Beta Kappa Chapter expressed the same feeling.

They had been slapped in the face by the undergrads one too many times.

Thankfully, we have a really committed advisor at Northern Colorado, a two term Chapter Consultant as advisor at Colorado State and a top notch Division Vice President for the two chapters.

While things can change quickly, I was pleased that our chapter at CSU was not one of the ones recently in trouble and that our UNC chapter has topped 50 members -- larger than it has ever been. The downside is that the UNC chapter is no longer winning as many international awards as they did a few years ago.

In the end, though, alumni support can only go so far. Advisors often don't live in the same towns at their chapters. They simply can't have a handle on everything that goes on.

It's up to the active chapter members to do the right thing.

[Tom Earp]

DeltAlum, while that may be true about the Advisor living in the area, what We have tried to do at Many Chapters is have a Local Alum as an Advisor or recruit one from the Facaulty. Self searving as it sounds it does help with the ADM! We did not Intiate one from the ROTC Dept who helped us, but have Initiated two inclooding our Courrent one whose son is a Brother Alum From the Chapter.

Something to consider though. Dont know if that will help in the current conditions at Co. Colleges of Higher Learning?

Nice Post on MC!!!!!!

[AOII*Azra-elle]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
Thankfully, we have a really committed advisor at Northern Colorado, a two term Chapter Consultant as advisor at Colorado State and a top notch Division Vice President for the two chapters.

While things can change quickly, I was pleased that our chapter at CSU was not one of the ones recently in trouble and that our UNC chapter has topped 50 members -- larger than it has ever been. The downside is that the UNC chapter is no longer winning as many international awards as they did a few years ago.

In the end, though, alumni support can only go so far. Advisors often don't live in the same towns at their chapters. They simply can't have a handle on everything that goes on.

It's up to the active chapter members to do the right thing.

I am actually glad to see that the Delts in Greeley are getting their numbers back up. They are a great group of guys, and that is one group you see on campus doing some good.

But, I do agree. The actives need to step up and do the right thing. But do they want to or do they know how? I think it's a combination of wanting to do the right thing and then knowing what the right thing is. Sometimes they just seem to lose their focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and tend to stray. I think, at least the UNC campus, has been straying for a couple of years now. They are just lucky there hasn't been a serious injury or death in the last few years. I just came from that campus, and being on the outside of things you really begin to notice.

I hope it's not just the Colorado campuses. There seem to be problems all over the nation as far as greeks. We just need to start quashing those things that are beginning to catch up with us and giving us a bad name.

[LXAAlum]

Originally posted by Erik P Conard
Thanks, Glenn, for the DU news, bad though it was. But, friend,
it is really tough to meet month after month, year after year, with
guys who look you in the eye and say one thing, do another. I
was horrified at the Greek situation at Greeley and the school has
no clue, most in charge were not greeks or at least seem not to
have any understanding. Imagine...houses on campus for fifty years, still renting hovels...some rented from the University.
There have been several who've either folded or are close to
at UNC now...AKL, KA, Theta Xi, Kappa Sig. No cigar here...
The U of Denver is, too, a graveyard, but UNC is HARDLY in the
same league.

Theta Xi and KA closed like Delta Upsilon because they couldn't recruit anyone to join. One of my best friends and coworkers (actually two coworkers) are DU alums.

KA, KSig, and LXA all established colonies at the same time - KSig is still a colony, or at least trying to 'act' like one - though the members I have seen on campus and working around town absolutely do NOT fit Greek stereotypes - they started from some members of the campus Green party members - so they are not "mainstream" students in any sense, though they are still hanging in there.

LXA is booming right now at UNC - biggest AM class since recolonization - so it can be done here.

I did not know about AKL, though I did notice the letters disappear off the house this summer, but then again, that happens a lot at UNC - houses move a lot - DTD moved again over the summer as did Sigma Chi into the old AZD house (and the other sorority that was there renting appears to have closed ).

UNC is a hard campus to succeed as greeks, but that is still mainly due to the "suitcase U" reputation that prevails even to this day - everyone goes home on weekends. But it can be done - Sigma Chi is still going strong as is LXA and Sigma Pi - I hear DTD is doing well (hat tip, Delt Alum) - not sure about other chapters (SAE just seems to always be there, but you don't hear a lot from them). Delta Chi was teetering for a while, but seems to be coming back - most sororities appear to be healthy.

Ummm...when was ATO on campus? That had to be long ago - at least before 1986 when I came to UNC - never seen or heard of them - I know they HAD a chapter in ages past...but did they try to recolonize or something and I miss it?

BTW, I happen to know a few UNC TKE alums - PM me and I'll give you names - see if we know the same folks....