|
U Fla: Animal houses? Some frats unsanitary
Animal houses? Some frats unsanitary
By MEGAN V. WINSLOW
Special to The Sun
September 30. 2005 6:01AM
From the austere colonial facade of the Kappa Delta house to the post-modern design of Sigma Chi, University of Florida Greek housing is visibly out of date and old-fashioned.
But the extent of conditions within fraternity and sorority houses was largely indiscernible until a couple of consultants brought to light the unsavory conditions in a UF-commissioned study released during the summer.
That report and comments from UF Greek Life Director Christopher Bullins that the university was unaware that several Greek houses had failed health inspections spurred The Sun to take a look at Alachua County Health Department records.
Reports show that numerous Greek houses at UF have struggled over the years with sub-par dishwashing machines, trash pile-ups and unsanitary cooking conditions.
Repeat offenders, with three or more "unsatisfactory" citations between 2000 and 2005, include Alpha Tau Omega, Beta Theta Pi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Tau, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Inspections occur two to three times a year, and "unsatisfactory" citations are issued at the discretion of the inspector, based on the number and severity of violations and the house's collective health inspection history.
Once a house fails an inspection, students are typically given about a week to fix violations.
If house infractions are not addressed, a house could face a fine and the loss of its food service license, though that course of action has yet to be applicable to UF's Greek community, said Paul Myers, director of Alachua County's environmental health department.
Pi Kappa Phi holds one of the worst track records, failing eight separate health inspections since 1998.
The kitchen floor, walls, sink and refrigerator of the fraternity located at 11 Fraternity Row demanded a good scrubbing, reports from April 2004 show. And during a January 2005 Alachua County Health Department inspection, a trash pile outside the two-story brick building was deemed unsanitary.
Between 1999 and 2004, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity had at least one failed health inspection a year, with the exception of 2003.
An Oct. 25, 2002, report listed two supplemental pages of violations, including buckets of murky mop water, piles of dirty clothes and the presence of roaches.
"Conditions are very unsatisfactory," the health inspection report reads. "Recommend closing kitchen until all items and violations are corrected. Cleaning and sanitization of entire facility from top to bottom!"
By a follow-up Nov. 8, 2002 inspection, however, Lambda Chi Alpha had corrected all problems and earned a "satisfactory" rating.
Over time, there has been a decline in failed inspections and UF fraternities and sororities have generally made improvements, Bullins said.
According to health inspection records, five fraternities have received "unsatisfactory" ratings so far this year. No sororities were cited.
To deter future offenses, Bullins has arranged for the Alachua County Health Department to inform the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs when houses fail inspections.
And the creation of a new UF advisory council may soon force fraternities to clean up their acts in more ways than one.
Plans for a representative fraternity and sorority advisory council, designed to establish better communication between UF's Greek community and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs, are now in the works, Bullins said.
The council, which begins its task during the spring semester, will consist of UF administration, faculty and students, house directors and parents.
Bullins said he hopes the advisory council will contribute multiple perspectives and become a "representative body of people who share the same vision that we do, which is to make the fraternities and sororities the best in the country."
Creation of the advisory council was the first of 15 recommendations made by Greek life experts Ron Binder of Bowling Green State University and Damien Duchamp of Indiana State University in a 33-page report that declared that the UF Greek community is "clearly not meeting its potential."
As detailed in the report, the advisory council will help implement the remaining recommendations, including establishing guidelines and standards for student behavior.
The group plans to address a laundry list of issues, including hazing and sexual assault allegations as outlined by Binder and Duchamp. Facility maintenance is also noted as a source of concern.
"We did not detect that the sanitation and health issues were being addressed adequately," the report reads. "It is imperative that the health and safety of students who reside and eat in these houses daily be addressed."
Once health violations are reported, the advisory council will discuss infractions with the fraternity or sorority and create a time line for fixing them, he said.
And if problems persist, UF has the authority to send in private contractors to deal with trouble spots, Bullins said.
Myers said the university's recent initiative is a welcome way to avoid health risks.
"It helps us because, that way, they can exert whatever power they have," Myers said. "The best way to achieve compliance is through education."
UF's Greek houses can expect another round of unannounced visits by health inspectors after Oct. 1, Myers said.
Although his fraternity hasn't had a health inspection violation in the last eight years, Alpha Epsilon Pi Chapter President and Interfraternity Council Member Steven Blank said he would support the new advisory council and stressed the value of having an outside, unbiased voice working with a hands-on approach.
"The problem I see in the Greek community in general is your having 18, 19, 20-year-olds being landlords of a house of 50 or so guys," Blank said.
|
Linear Mode
