Racism felt among Greeks

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by dreamseeker

yep, and then there's also the fact that their voices aren't being heard during meetings, AND they had standards that prevented them from being 5-star orgs.

I read up on the "accreditation" program there. While the standards aren't entirely preventative of OPB becoming a 5 star chapter, I can easily see how it is a struggle for small chapters to meet the standards. The member number that was mentioned in the article is slightly wrong/off base. A chapter has to initiate 15 new members in any academic year (with 80% NM/pledge retention rate). In addition there seem to be a TON of meetings and event participation requirements that would tax a small chapter who already has to worry about their own events and meetings.

In reviewing the accreditation program and it's incentives I personally have a some issues with it.

The first is that the information doesn't seem to have been updated since the 2006-2007 academic year. What is the point of having accreditation and making the information public if you're not going to keep the info current?

Cultural and multicultural organizations will almost always have a hard time achieving 5 star status due to average chapter sizes. I don't think it's impossible, but a chapter of 10 people or less, with about 50% (or less) of it's members actually being workhorses will be way over tasked trying to complete these requirements.

It also seems that the program is a thinly veiled attempt for GL/the University to have a heavy hand in chapter operations, in particular new member education. From the incentives page:
"•Five Star chapters whose new members maintain or improve their GPAs the semester they pledge for both the Fall and Spring semesters and who have made their new member education programs public documents, will be permitted to pledge first semester freshmen the following semester. "
It isn't an issue for all organizations, but I know there are still a number of organizations that do not provide the NME program (at least not in entirety) as a public document. Personally that requirement seems off to me. (By the way this is after having already submitted a NME calendar, meeting with GL, and then being approved). I'm also probably taking issue with it because I am strongly against pledging first semester freshman, as well as the potential
issues it can create with respect to fairness and dirty rushing.

An additional incentive to being a 5 star chapter is that your members can wear their GLOs honor stole at graduation. An issue that I personally don't think GL should be involved in.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

Cultural and multicultural organizations will almost always have a hard time achieving 5 star status due to average chapter sizes. I don't think it's impossible, but a chapter of 10 people or less, with about 50% (or less) of it's members actually being workhorses will be way over tasked trying to complete these requirements.

There was something like this at Pitt a couple years back - some of the NPHC groups were in danger of losing their student org status because they were too small. kddani or some of the other Pitt alums might remember.

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

It also seems that the program is a thinly veiled attempt for GL/the University to have a heavy hand in chapter operations, in particular new member education. From the incentives page:
"•Five Star chapters whose new members maintain or improve their GPAs the semester they pledge for both the Fall and Spring semesters and who have made their new member education programs public documents, will be permitted to pledge first semester freshmen the following semester. "
It isn't an issue for all organizations, but I know there are still a number of organizations that do not provide the NME program (at least not in entirety) as a public document. Personally that requirement seems off to me. (By the way this is after having already submitted a NME calendar, meeting with GL, and then being approved). I'm also probably taking issue with it because I am strongly against pledging first semester freshman, as well as the potential
issues it can create with respect to fairness and dirty rushing.

Was that for fraternities and sororities only, or just fraternities? I can't imagine what the local Panhel/NPC advisor would say to letting some of the sororities rush in the fall, and others having to wait till the spring. If they have any sort of formal rush, it would be a total cluster@$%#.

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

An additional incentive to being a 5 star chapter is that your members can wear their GLOs honor stole at graduation. An issue that I personally don't think GL should be involved in.

Unless they're speaking about local groups which they can basically tell what to do, this is absolutely NONE of their business. What's next? 5 star chapters can wear letters every day, but 3 star chapters can only wear them every other Tuesday?

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Was that for fraternities and sororities only, or just fraternities? I can't imagine what the local Panhel/NPC advisor would say to letting some of the sororities rush in the fall, and others having to wait till the spring. If they have any sort of formal rush, it would be a total cluster@$%#.

From my understanding it is both. No where does it say it is just for fraternities. Given what I do know about NPC Recruitment it definitely does not seem appropriate at all!

Originally Posted by 33girl

Unless they're speaking about local groups which they can basically tell what to do, this is absolutely NONE of their business. What's next? 5 star chapters can wear letters every day, but 3 star chapters can only wear them every other Tuesday?

I agree. I have to question the effectiveness of this program given that in 2006-2007 only 4/16 chapters on campus made 5 Star status, and only 1 made 4 star status. But that is old information, so I don't know what it has been for the two subsequent years.