Jewell officials say KA hazing case proves program is working

[hoosier]

Sat, Jan. 01, 2005

Greek system meeting test

Jewell officials say hazing case proves program is working
By MIKE SHERRY
The Kansas City Star


When almost half of a fraternity's membership is disciplined for verbally abusing a pledge, it is generally not treated as good news by campus administrators and chapter representatives.

Yet that is what is happening at William Jewell College in the wake of an incident involving the school's Kappa Alpha chapter.

“I could not be more pleased with the outcome,” said Rick Winslow, dean of students.

Winslow and others are happy with the resolution because the incident provided an early test of the college's major initiative to overhaul its 128-year-old Greek system. The plan was outlined just three weeks before Winslow took an October phone call from a parent alleging hazing at the Kappa Alpha house.

Fourteen of the chapter's roughly 35 members were barred from Kappa Alpha chapter activities as a result, according to local and national fraternity representatives.

The episode was the latest example of transgressions that last year led Jewell to set about revamping its Greek system.

The process started with the appointment of a 38-person Greek Strategic Plan Committee. Then, in October, students, alumni and administrators announced the committee's 10 goals.

Key among them was having Greek organizations police their own in matters like the hazing incident.

Winslow said the Greeks also have made strides toward other goals, including integrating fraternities and sororities into campus life.

For instance, he said, Lambda Chi Alpha was a key supporter of a campaign against violence toward women; Phi Gamma Delta held a campuswide holiday reception at its house.

In addition, Winslow said, the college has started raising funds for a sorority complex as part of the goal of uniting Greek organizations.

Sara Reynolds, president of the sorority governing body, also has seen the effect of the Greek Strategic Plan on her house, Zeta Tau Alpha. In recent elections, she said, members evaluated candidates in part on their support for the transformation plan.

Winslow said he hoped all the goals could be achieved in 2005, although Reynolds said that might be a little ambitious.

Whatever the time frame, the Kappa Alpha incident offers hope that the overall plan will succeed, especially since the test came before a full-blown Greek judicial process was in place.

Before the Greek strategic plan, Winslow said, his office would have taken a more active role in discipline. “In the old days,” he said, “Student Affairs would have dictated to the chapter what needed to be done.”

The school's Greek Judicial Council also would have participated, Winslow said. Its decision would have been subject to review by the college's Committee on Campus Organizations.

Under both systems, campus administrators retain the authority to expel students for major violations. Winslow said Jewell would work with Liberty authorities in cases that might involve criminal conduct.

In the Kappa Alpha incident, Winslow said, his office largely left the discipline to the chapter's national office and alumni.

The big difference in the Kappa Alpha issue goes beyond process, said Don DiPaolo, the Detroit-based consultant who is helping Jewell with its transformation.

The effort to reform the Greek system has developed trust and collaboration among parties that were often adversaries in the past. “That is a new spirit that did not exist before,” he said.

The alumnus adviser to Kappa Alpha's Jewell chapter, Tyler Griffin, said the administration might well have shut down the chapter after this incident, as it did Sigma Nu two years ago.

Griffin, who has known Winslow for several years, said he might have been able to work with the dean to fashion an outcome similar to the November discipline.

“I would hope we would have gotten here, regardless,” Griffin said of the action against the 14 members. “But the strategic plan got us here quicker.”

The punishment probably stung some members, said Zach Frey, 21, president of the Kappa Alpha chapter when the hazing charge surfaced. But Frey saw some value in making the fraternity a test case for greater Greek self-governance, because it gave legitimacy to the Greek Strategic Plan.

Although progress is being made at Jewell, DiPaolo said, the college is coming late to a Greek reform effort that has been under way on other campuses for a decade.

The Greek system at Jewell, he said, has been such an island that these nationwide reform efforts have largely gone unnoticed.

[Firehouse]

Always, ALWAYS, be suspicious when the university comes to you with enthusiasm for a "Greek Strategic Plan." It is usually based on the false premise that the greek chapters are creations of and owned by the school, giving the university the right to determine a whole host of chapter policies. Chapters of the national Greek organizations belong to the members, and those members' rights of free association are protected by law. And, if the university begins to talk about "Self Governance"...RUN! It means that the university is trying to skirt due process by turning all discipline over to a hand picked collection of toady home-room monitors. Greek systems prosper when universities leave them alone. If the KAs at William Jewell hazed, then charge them with hazing. It may be that they can't prove actual hazing took place, if all it consisted of was speaking harshly to a pledge. What they're saying is, "We can't punish you and get away with it, so we're going to let your 'peers' hammer you as we whisper instructions in their ears, and then we'll say 'Well, the fraternities made that decision themselves'."
I've been through this.

[Tom Earp]

Firehouse, I am with you.

But consider that there are only 3 Fraternies on William-Jewell campus now as SN was kicked off, not once but twice in 2 years. The shame of it is that they have a new house that is only about 5-6 years old.

Existing Fraternities are LXA, PhiGD, and KA. All in new houses.

The School is also looking into raising monies to help build Sorority Houses which are housed in Dorms. They also donated the land and 1.0 million for The Fraternities.
Some of the things William-Jewell have done shows that they are willing to work with Greeks. Thumbs Up to Them for this.

In looking and reading about this in the Kansas City Star, it may work out better as they could have been kicked off of campus too.

Guess a wait and see is in order. I need to run up sometime and see the guys there.

[Firehouse]

Tom, we are coming toward the end, I think, of this era. It had its roots in the whole "zero tolerance" thing that grew out of frustration over a rampant drug culture twenty years ago. The problem on campus is that the death penalty has been instituted for every infraction. Have a beer? You're gone. Pledge wash your car? You're gone. Crawl onto the porch of a sorority house at 4 am? You're gone. Whether you engage in dangerous practices and a pledge dies - or - if you require the pledges to wear red ties with their blazers, the result can be the same in front of one of these university judicial boards. You hang for a penny as well as a pound. The problem is especially compounded when the school tries to turn the disciplinary process over to the IFC/chapters themselves. Reacting the outrageous abuses by college administrators, Greek alumni and undergrads got Congress to pass the Freedom Of Association Act in 1996. The schools know there's a limit to what they actually get away with, so they place the process in the hands of the IFC, then claim that - gosh! - the fraternities decided this themselves; we had nothing to do with it. Two bad things are at work here. First, some ivory tower administrators apparently believe that this whole thing qualifies as a "learning process", and the fact the fact that your house is put out of business is just part of this wonderful educational experience. Second, the administrators make it clear to the IFC that if they don't take Draconian measures ("make an example"), the school will step in and shut down the Greek system. The school knows that they could not actually get away with it, but the undergrads don't know that. Plus, once the undergrads are in charge, chapter rivalries enter into the picture. The Lambda Chis in trouble? We'll, they're leading in intramurals; let's kick them out of sports for the rest of the year so my Alpha Beta Gamma chapter can win. The Sigma Nus too hard to compete with in rush? Well, we'll fix that!
On some campuses, the alumni have taken strong action to fight back these hateful administrative abuses. Back in the late 1990s the Univerity of Delaware came up with the horrible "Delaware Plan": layer upon layer of excrutiatingly detailed forms and requirements and punishments. The courts correctly struck this nonsense down.
Yes, there is bad behavior. We're dealing with college age boys, and we always will be as long as there are colleges and 18-21 year-old students. They are boys and they will do what boys do, regardless of the gender-feminists' wishes to turn them all into the cast of Will & Grace.
I think the administrators would all be very happy to see the whole greek system go away, but then, administrators and faculty have largely felt that way for 200 years. It's one of the reasons fraternities were founded in the first place. It is the reason Sigma Chi sued Purdue University more than 100 years ago, and won.
Enough rambling. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Tom.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Uh, I may be wrong, but I got from this article that the disciplinary sanctions were handled by Kappa Alpha and their national organization, not the IFC or the school. It mentions that 14 members were barred from chapter activities according to representatives from the local and national.

Also the "Delaware Plan", last time I checked was still in place and hadn't been struck down by the courts. I also haven't seen any mention of that in "Fraternal Law" the publication that deals with legal issues in fraternal organizations.

[Firehouse]

I didn't read the article. If it was national, then yes, they have every right to suspend recognition and take whatever disciplinary measures they deem fit. I'll have to look up the reference re Delaware Plan. I do recall that it was challenged, maybe just administratively, and it was ruled not legally enforcable. That won't keep the administration from imposing it, it just means that they can't get away with imposing sanctions if they're challenged. Most undergrads will be intimidated.

[Tom Earp]

Sorry, but not fully aware of the "Deleware Plan". Give me a little light on this if you could.

Evidently FireHouse, you had some very bad experiences in this area. Yes, there have been schools who have and continue to hard nose Greek Organizations.

But, there does seem to be a trend of bringing Greeks on campus and moving from an all Local Greek Campus to Nationals.

Granted there are still many stupid things that go on across the country when it comes to Greeks, but We as adults who have been preaching anti hazing among many things are seeing a change. At least I hope so.

As has been said many times, We are Our own worst enemies. IF things run smooth, then the Academians dont give a damn as long as it doesnt hurt the school reputation for getting donations. They many times forget the Alum Donations via Greek Alums.

Consider life a bicycle wheel, sometimes we are on the top and sometimes not.

Maybe the wheel has started turning enough to get us back towards the top of the wheel.

[Firehouse]

Tom, please see the "Delaware Plan" thread for a better explanation. Someone posted a synopsis of the point system and the punishment matrix.
Tom, I don't wnat you to think my campus (FSU) has a hard nose, anti-greek administration. Just the opposite is true. I was on our national board for a couple of terms and I've seen first hand the problems across the country with self-impressed administration types.

[Tom Earp]

Dont know about FSU Greek System except what I have read on GC and checked the School Web Site.

It sounds very good, but a lot of times surface dust does cover scars. (just using some of your background from your previous posts) You seem dubious to a very big point.

Did a seach of Deleware Plan on here and came back to this thread.

Do you have a link I can check. Would be grateful, always like to learn.

Also from your post, that is why I would like to see it. Is this a Utopian idealology of what might/could happen.

[Firehouse]

Yeah, well, as you say there are a few scars after all.
Tom, if you'll Google "Delaware Greek Life" you'll get their website, I was just there and it looks as if the "Delaware Plan" collapsed under its own execerable weight. That goes along with what I heard about the "Delaware Plan" being struck down in court. They've replaced it with what must be the next new thing: a Chapter Assessment Program with gold, silver and bronze levels. I didn't look long enough to see if they're still trying to punish the kids but the administration obviously goes to a ,ot of trouble to list all the heathens who they're thrown off campus (big page on that).
If you want to see political correctness gone berzerk, Google the LSU Greek Life websute. They've also adopted a gold-silver-bronze level point system - this must be the new fad. Tom, it's almost beyond belief. Chapters are assessed points depending on what percentage of ther chapter attends the required "wellness" and "diversity" seminars. If you asked these nimrods whay they just doen't leave the kids alone and let them have fun, they'd stare at you with uncomprehending eyes. With no one to boss around they wouldn't have jobs or get paid.

[Firehouse]

Tom, if you'll Google "Delaware Five Star" you'll have it: the original plan, now defunct I assume. The site says "last updated 2000". I assume it's been replaced by the next trendy new toy the liberals have come up with.

[Tom Earp]

Firehouse, TSteven has a post on Greek Life thread. Yep, it sucked big time.





I love this part of your post and find it so damn True,

"If you asked these nimrods why they just doen't leave the kids alone and let them have fun, they'd stare at you with uncomprehending eyes. With no one to boss around they wouldn't have jobs or get paid".

But as I said before, We are our most worst enemies, and I just wonder when we as Chapters are going to figure this out!!!!!!!

Alums and Nationals can only do so much!