Greeks struggle to keep charter

After months of confusion about the requirements, members of the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) face losing affiliation with the College if they continue to be out of compliance with their contract. Greeks demanded a meeting with members of the administration, namely Assistant Dean of Students Theresa O'Bryant, to clarify their role as part of the college community Tentatively scheduled for last Friday, March 23, the meeting was scheduled to allow for an open dialogue between the Greek letter organizations and O'Bryant, who also serves as advisor to the IGC.

The Controversy The basis of the problems between the IGC and the administration is the College's contract - "Standards and Conditions For Affiliation of IGC-Governed Greek Letter Societies with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts" - which has been essentially ignored since its drafting in 1998. When O'Bryant took over as advisor of the IGC last year, she informed the groups of their requirements as explicated in the contract, including their need to raise funds for liability insurance, an estimated $8,000 cost per year. IGC President Natty Hussey said that the IGC is "still not close for this year." In addition to other infractions, the IGC and Greek letter organizations find themselves out of compliance with their contract. "The main issue here is the liability insurance. It's a huge stumbling block," said O'Bryant on Monday. "But the College needs to figure out some way to make these student organizations consistent with how Greek letter organizations operate." "The College is in compliance," she said. "The Greeks on campus don't feel like they should abide by the contract since their groups weren't a party to it," explained O'Bryant. At the meeting last week, students hoped to write a new contract with which they could be in compliance. The crowd of about 50 Greeks expressed disappointment at having to postpone the discussion after O'Bryant missed the meeting due to a miscommunication between herself and Hussey, O'Bryant said. "We were informed that this was going to be THE meeting," said Vic Joyner, a member of the Pi Upsilon Pi fraternity. "I'm angry and disappointed in Theresa." "This meeting was important to get a better understanding from the school," said Emily Sigler, the vice-president of IGC and the president of the Sigma Gamma Phi sorority. "The thing is the contact is out-of-date," said Julia Klocko, the president of the Pi Upsilon Omega sorority. "And, on both sides, the contract hasn't been followed completely." "If we have to follow it [the contract], the administration needs to show us that they actually know what they're doing," said Joyner. "If we're going to follow a contract, we want to help produce it," said Hussey. O'Bryant insists that the contract was written in conjunction with past Greek organizations, and the current students must follow the provisions outlined in it. "I inherited the management of an agreement that was mis-managed," she said. "I don't have the authority to change it or overlook it." The bigger question here is the future of Greeks at the College. "How long can they be out of compliance?" O'Bryant asked.

Out of Compliance Along with the liability insurance, the Greek organizations are struggling to comply with their contract. Every 3 years, the IGC is required to undergo a review of each individual organization. This has not happened, said Hussey. Further, O'Bryant suspects the Greek organizations of other infractions. "Operating a Greek letter organization is a boatload of work," she said. "It's an expensive venture, and, when they're participating in illegal activity, they're in a really tough position." O'Bryant has heard rumors about selling alcohol without a license at off-campus locations, selling alcohol to minors, and pledging freshmen, all serious deviations from the College's expectations for affiliated Greeks. "We require them to follow rules, and I'm not going to put myself in a position to ignore risky behaviors," O'Bryant said. "I can't think of another college that would recognize them." The Greeks risk losing their affiliation with the College if they do not comply with the standards outlined in their contract.

Another Shot "They believe they essentially need to achieve the impossible," said O'Bryant. "I've tried to help, and I understand I'm going to be scapegoated." Some members of the IGC feel that O'Bryant is pressuring them to remove the Greek presence from the campus. "It's a conflict of interest," Joyner said. "She needs to remove herself as advisor of the IGC or start doing her job." "We only hope that when the meeting does happen, the faculty will be open-minded and willing to help us keep our affiliation at [the College]," said Amanda Smith, vice president of the Beta Lambda sorority. "Being a Greek is not a right they have, and we have to through the process," O'Bryant said. "Is [removing affiliation] the next step?" Another meeting is scheduled for this Friday, March 30, at 3:30 p.m. in Sullivan Lounge.