University of Pittsburgh reviewing greek life! - Page 3

SigEp42 · #31 02-25-2003, 04:43 PM

Just an update on the review:

http://www.pittnews.com/vnews/displa.../3e5ad7aca83ea

kddani · #32 02-25-2003, 04:45 PM

I read that this morning, at least it makes it sound somewhat positive.

I think all in all Pitt is a fairly well behaved greek system who DOES a lot for charity- as a whole and as individual houses.

Let's hope for the best.

fire1977 · #33 02-25-2003, 04:46 PM

I just sent that to all the sorority advisors before I logged on here. We have a meeting with panhel exec tomorrow.

SigEp42 · #34 02-26-2003, 03:24 PM

From what I have heard from the people that were at the Greek Review today it was overall positive. I guess we have to wait and see tomorrow if the Pitt news will print the recommendations.

cherub · #35 02-26-2003, 07:26 PM

If Pitt News doesn't publish it, I hope that someone in on the meetings will post, if they're able to!

fire1977 · #36 02-26-2003, 10:40 PM

I'm looking at it right now. My scanner would take forever to put it up here, however. They didn't really put out anything too specific and it's obvious that they know nothing about the greek system.

Edited to add: they did reccommend the hiring of a new greek advisor, which is now posted!!!

33girl · #37 02-27-2003, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fire1977
I'm looking at it right now. My scanner would take forever to put it up here, however. They didn't really put out anything too specific and it's obvious that they know nothing about the greek system.

Let me guess - you are all getting pledge houses in North Oakland, right?

kddani · #38 02-27-2003, 09:48 AM

Pitt News Article About Report

Doesn't really tell us much of anything. While I haven't talked to anyone who went to the meeting, I did read one of my sister's away messages that said it was a waste of time.

Probably didn't tell us anything that we ourselves didn't already know. I guess i'm happy that the admin is paying some positive attention to the greeks.

They're going to be starting the application process for a new Greek advisor- fun position, but i'm not sure how well it pays. Any GC'ers interested?

33girl · #39 02-27-2003, 11:19 AM

OK, I will come and be the Greek advisor.

I can just see that.

They are definitely right about the suckage of the web site.

Are they saying they want house moms for the fraternities? I'm assuming you guys have RA's on the sorority floors. Aren't there 2 or 3 groups not in the sorority dorm? It sounds like they want them all to be there.

fire1977 · #40 02-27-2003, 12:20 PM

TPA has a suite in McCormick, KKG has a house mother and live on bayard (as did Theta before they closed) the other 9 have their own floor in Amos (Sheila, I have to take you up there sometime).

They want to explore using leases for the sororities and look over the issues with the off campus fraternity recognition. They totally don't understand the concept of the panhellenic judicial board and they have no idea that the advisors (at least panhellenic) meet.

They also plan on incorporating a 5 star system, which on of the Chi Omega advisors who used to be a traveling consultant brought up a campus she visited with this type of system and she said that the chapters were constantly on some sort of probation. That in combination with an overprogrammed greek system wouldn't be very fun.

SigEp42 · #41 02-27-2003, 05:15 PM

Fire1977
What is a five star system? I have never heard of this before. Please explain it to me.

From the people that i know that went to the meeting, one of them being the IFC pres and my pledge brother, there are two takes on it. I t was very positive and it was nice to see the administration take notice. the other it was a waste of time everything they said we already knew and many of the suggestions they made are already in place. Most people are more interested in getting a Greek advisor than worrying about this review.
As for housing. They want a director type thing in every fraternity house. I think this is a strange idea. The idea that we would have someone watching over our shoulder is a little creepy. The only room that they would be give is the one on the first floor, it has its own bathroom and is a little bigger than the other single. This room has access to our chapter room which is used for ritual and regular meetings.
As I understand it the sororities now have a corresponding RA that lives in Holland. They do not have one living with them. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Don’t get me wrong I am very glad to see that the university is realizing how much they underestimate us but I still have concerns if the students are not involved. Many of the policies that they want to enforce were not drafted or written by the students instead they were taken from the students and written by administrators, and lawyers. Many of these are not liked among the Greek community.
Forgive me if this jumps around and has spelling mistakes I’m trying to write it while my boss is on a break.

fire1977 · #42 02-27-2003, 05:25 PM

From what I gathered, they want one person to be like an RA for all of the fraternities. The Graduate Assistant use to live up there and do that, but it was too much of a risk management issue if I remember correctly. She lived on the first floor of what is now the ZBT house.

Yes Amos has the RA from the corresponding floor of Holland hall.

I'm guessing the 5-Star system would be enforcing the criteria that falls under the cathedral awards programming, ie you have to do so many alumnae events, so much programming, etc.

Honeychile said that at one point the sorority suites had house mothers in them. They also used to be split on smaller sororities. We used to share a suite with Kappa Delta, there's still a doorplate on our formal room door that says dphie.

More later, I have to go to Pitt!

cherub · #43 02-27-2003, 06:12 PM

Hmm....well, at least there were some positive things said. But the unrestrained part of me wants to say, "DUH!" to this whole situation. I mean, come on, as an administrator on campus, make an effort to get to know the groups on campus, including greeks. It doesn't take a committee, just someone who opens themself up and put themselves out there.

Still, at least the communication lines have been opened. Let's hope that admin truly listen to the GLOs in any open forums they do hold and any joint meetings from here on in.

honeychile · #44 02-27-2003, 09:13 PM

There've been rumors for the past few years that Pitt wants to do some major renovations to McCormick Hall and possibly Amos. The asbestoes thing probably got them really stirred up (asbestoes was found in the flooring of every kitchen on the top floors of all the dorms in the Quad). To do that renovation, they probably want to put TPA back into Amos, and, from what I've heard, TPA has been clamoring to be back in Amos. I've heard that Pitt would also like to add more rooms in McCormick, by halving the two-story living rooms. There's some clause that allows KKG to stay on Bayard; I would imagine that only KAT would be allowed to fall under that same clause.

The part that talks about recognized v. unrecognized GLOs makes me wonder if maybe the NPHC sororities have been seeking housing similar to Amos, and maybe Pitt wants them in Amos, too. Sheer speculation on my part there.

Yes, I know that each sorority had to have a housemother back in the 1960's (ours lived in the suite of singles on the informal side of the suite) (this was also before my time, but we had to write to our former housemother once a week). When I was at Pitt, you had to fill the suite consistently to have the use of the full floor. Only ADPi, TriDelta, ChiO & DZ had the full floor, and you'll see that on old literature - for example, our address was 1001-1002 Amos Hall while TPA's was 701 Amos Hall. DZ's used half of the 3rd floor, ChiOs used half of the 5th floor, and the rest of us would jockey for a good foothold on the informal sides of 8, 7, & 6. There was an RA in Amos who lived on the 6th floor, and the women who worked at the front desk weren't the gestapo style security guards there now, they were like our informal housemothers. I still see one of them at South Hills Village now and again, and she quizzes me on who's doing what every time!

I sincerely miss that homey touch!

Logistically and financially, I don't see how a housemother could be worked back onto each floor. How can Pitt justify a non-student living in a resident hall when there's supposedly a housing shortage? That would mean 9 less students, 9 less meal plans - or more, if they're trying to get more sororities in Amos.

What Pitt may wish to do is tighten up the filling the suite bit, and try to work TPA (and possibly the NPHC sororities) into Amos. How many NPHC sororities are there at Pitt? There used to be 3 (AKA, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta); that would mean a total of 13 sororities crammed into Amos. While that would look pretty sweet to Pitt, it's a nightmare when you take Recruitment into consideration!

Thanks for keeping us posted!
honeychile

fire1977 · #45 02-28-2003, 10:50 AM

They aren't talking about putting housemothers in Amos, they want a person to live in the fraternity houses, I was just saying that it had been done in the past.

As far as NPHC goes, there was an article about how they wanted housing like us last year, but I don't think they realize that a. sorority members pay more to live in our suites and b. we pay for all the furniture, etc. in the common rooms, only the university takes care of th bedrooms for us. The university doesn't really pay for anything. Also they are significantly smaller, so I'm thinking that they are planning on putting them somewhere like bruce hall, etc. Somewhere with the smaller suites so that they can fill them and have a common living area.

Here's a thought what happened to the three sorority houses that they were going to put on the hill???