Think it can't happen at your school? THINK AGAIN!

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by shadokat

Oh, I completely forgot to mention that for clarification, all social Greeks under the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life are gone. This includes NPC, NIC, NPHC and local groups. The listing on the multicultural center's page as missed by the web team. Groups such as Alpha Phi Omega and Phi Sigma Pi do not fall under the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and as such are still recognized. I do know that Phi Sigma Pi has had previously "trouble" with the University, as they act much like a social organization.

Thank you very much for the clarification, especially on the Multicultural page. I wish you success in the fight to deal with what looks like a massive overreaction by the university.

[AGDee]

Are we going to just go back to the model in the 80's where the Panhellenic Advisor was an alumna of an NPC? There was no FSL office or Greek Life Office. IFC and PHC worked together to plan joint events like Greek Week. There were none of these ratings systems. There was no documentation sent to a centralized office as part of the University. We were recognized student organizations but it didn't take much to be one. There wasn't any oversight by the University itself. That fell on our Inter/national organizations.

I think the real goal for the University is to make sure they don't get sued because of out of control behaviors from the organizations they claim to oversee. Remove the FSL office and you are no longer liable for what those groups do.

[33girl]

I really wonder if this has anything to do with the upcoming school mergers.

[FSUZeta]

This situation is similar to one student doing something wrong, and the entire class is punished-which is not right. I hope that NPC will support your efforts, and many ,many thanks for your efforts.
It doesn't sound like a Greek problem as much as a campus culture problem.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by shadokat

Oh, I completely forgot to mention that for clarification, all social Greeks under the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life are gone. This includes NPC, NIC, NPHC and local groups. The listing on the multicultural center's page as missed by the web team. Groups such as Alpha Phi Omega and Phi Sigma Pi do not fall under the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and as such are still recognized. I do know that Phi Sigma Pi has had previously "trouble" with the University, as they act much like a social organization.

I know that the Alpha Phi Omega chapter has been told by APO staff to keep its head down and wait to see what's going on in August.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I really wonder if this has anything to do with the upcoming school mergers.

I doubt it. From
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2021/...es/4871911001/

While universities would share a new name for each three-school group, they would also maintain their current identities and campuses, as well as their athletic programs.

If the athletic programs stay the same (i.e. the new (made up name) "Southeast PA University - Kutztown Golden Bears" play in the same conference as the "Kutztown State Golden Bears" did) then I don't see any reason that Greek Life would be affected. (Note, this *may* be affected by individual Greek Letter Organization bylaws)

[shadokat]

I don't think so. First off, Bloomsburg is the position of strength in this merger. Lock Haven and Mansfield are both dying without this. Secondly, Mansfield put out a statement saying they support their Greek Life system and that Greeks do good for the community and the school.

Originally Posted by 33girl

I really wonder if this has anything to do with the upcoming school mergers.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by shadokat

I don't think so. First off, Bloomsburg is the position of strength in this merger. Lock Haven and Mansfield are both dying without this. Secondly, Mansfield put out a statement saying they support their Greek Life system and that Greeks do good for the community and the school.

Apparently asking for a consistent policy from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on this is a complete non-starter.

Once the merger takes place we'll have functionally have one college with one campus where greek life is so dangerous they have to nuke the entire concept and one campus where "Greeks do good for the community and the school".

[shadokat]

This whole merger thing is really not a merger of the entire universities. If you're keeping your athletics, your student life, your name and your logos, then it's not a merger. Bloomsburg will just absorb the "running" of the other two. As someone at Bloomsburg explained to me, the "merging" of the schools doesn't go as deep as individual departments like Greek Life. Who knows what it's all about.

Originally Posted by naraht

Apparently asking for a consistent policy from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on this is a complete non-starter.

Once the merger takes place we'll have functionally have one college with one campus where greek life is so dangerous they have to nuke the entire concept and one campus where "Greeks do good for the community and the school".

[shadokat]

Well this was published today. One local apparently took the bait from this organization that is claiming they will get Greeks reinstated. I don’t trust people who come out of the woodwork when trouble is brewing. It feels very ambulance chaser to me, which may be a derogatory comment for attorneys but I hope it helps explain my trepidation. Thoughts?

GREEK RUINS: FIRE calls on Bloomsburg to restore 17 Greek chapters disbanded without due process

Updated the link...

[thetalady]

I am not sure why, but I couldn't get the link above to open. Trying again....

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

Sounds like an advocacy group to support students' rights, which we know have been trampled on by universities on a regular basis... I'm looking at you, Harvard. I know nothing about them, though.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by thetalady

I am not sure why, but I couldn't get the link above to open. Trying again....

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

Sounds like an advocacy group to support students' rights, which we know have been trampled on by universities on a regular basis... I'm looking at you, Harvard. I know nothing about them, though.

FIRE is a long-lived and extremely thorough advocacy group that has been fighting for free-speech in education as long as I can remember.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by DGTess

FIRE is a long-lived and extremely thorough advocacy group that has been fighting for free-speech in education as long as I can remember.

Thanks, DGTess!! Good to know.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by DGTess

FIRE is a long-lived and extremely thorough advocacy group that has been fighting for free-speech in education as long as I can remember.

Founded in 1999
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founda...s_in_Education

[shadokat]

UPDATE! I know it's been a bit since my last update. On Monday, Delta Phi Epsilon, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha all communicated with their chapters that they would continue to recognize their chapters as active and work with them to continue operations independent of the University. The three chapters will work with NPC to create an independent local Panhellenic Council. From what I've heard, this is not going to be like the University of Las Vegas - Reno, where NPC actually hired someone to work with the organizations to form and advise the local Panhellenic Council.

Word from fraternity alums is that TKE national will be continuing recognition of their local chapter, and Alpha Sigma Phi will do so as well, although Alpha Sigma Phi relinquished their recognition at the beginning of last spring term due to their disagreement with the new university policies.

There is a lot of chatter amongst alums of groups because the national organizations have been officially backed by their nationals. Locals are feeling that they don't have any recourse as they don't have national backing. Because there is no local Panhellenic Council at this time, I'm thinking that fall recruitment will be COB only, as it should be, and there is no total, so all groups will be on their own to do their thing. We'll have to see how things work out for a spring formal recruitment.

I can speak for my chapter, Delta Phi Epsilon, in that we are incredibly grateful to our national organization for their support and continued recognition. They truly left the decision up to the local collegiate women to decide if they wanted to continue, and when they said the did want to keep going, our national was happy to continue to support them. It is about to be a very interesting fall in Bloomsburg!