UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 31, Page 1
May 14, 1992
Senate revises Greek rules,  ends pledging by 1997-98

     A wide range of resolutions affecting Greek organizations were
passed Monday by the University Faculty Senate, including the gradual
elimination of pledging over five years, the creation of a periodic
review process and a request for renewable charters based on those
reviews.
     Eight resolutions proposed by the senate's Greek Life Task Force
were passed by the senate. The task force was made up of
representatives of the Greek organizations, faculty, administrators,
non-Greek student representatives and community members, including a
local lawyer and Newark's chief of police.
     In addition to eliminating all pledging by the 1997-1998 academic
year, the senate agreed to limit pledge periods to four weeks by
1994-1995. According to Tim Brooks, dean of students, the current
pledge periods range from eight weeks to an entire semester.
     A second resolution passed by the senate places restrictions on
those students who seek to join Greek organizations. Before joining a
local chapter, the students must first complete 12 credit hours at the
University and maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.33. The
students also cannot be under any judicial sanctions imposed by the
University. These restrictions are effective in the 1993 fall
semester.
     Although a third resolution originally authorized the dean of
students and women's affairs offices to develop a system for
monitoring the academic performance, disciplinary problems and conduct
of each Greek organization, the senate chose to create its own ad hoc
committee. After designing a system of record-keeping that will allow
an "accurate and impartial measure of each Greek organization's
collective profile," the ad hoc committee will report to the senate
for approval and implementation. The senate accepted an amendment by
DUSC representative Nate Herman requiring that a similar profile of
the general student population be made for comparison.
     Periodic reviews of all local chapters of Greek organizations
were also approved, with the first review to be completed by the
1997-98 academic year. This resolution calls for the format and
schedule of the reviews to be determined by representatives from the
Office of the Dean of Students, the Interfraternity Council,
Panhellenic Council and the National Pan Hellenic Council.
     On the recommendation of the Greek Life Task Force, a fifth
resolution sought to assist "renegade" Greek organizations, groups
that wish to become recognized Greek units but are prevented or
delayed by existing expansion policies of local chapters. As passed by
the senate, this resolution requests that these Greek interest groups
be allowed to register as official student organizations and urges
that the dean of students, the vice president for student affairs and
local Greek governing councils establish procedures to "direct the
development of Greek interest groups toward full University
recognition."
     Several senators objected to the sixth resolution, which called
for the immediate termination of the three-year house monitor
experiment passed by the senate in the spring of 1991. Task force
member Bernard Herman told the senators, "the principle is not at
fault, the experiment is." According to the task force report, the
house monitor system was too narrow, restricted to only a few groups
who bore the cost of the experiment, and lacked the commitment,
resources and authority to make it successful. When asked why other
options were not suggested, the task force agreed to an amendment
creating another ad hoc committee to look at the problem. The senate
passed the measure.
     A resolution asking the president of the University to institute
a policy of granting renewable charters to Greek organizations also
passed the senate. This resolution asks that official recognition of
Greek organizations be based on periodic review by the 1997-98
academic year. It asks that the senate's Committee on Student Life and
representatives from the offices of the dean of students, women's
affairs and the vice president for student affairs establish
procedures to make recommendations to the president on the initial
application or reapplication of Greek organizations seeking charters.
     A final resolution passed by the senate calls for a new task
force to be created in five years to re-evaluate the status of Greek
life at the University and assess the effectiveness of the new
procedures.
     In other business, the senate passed a two-page policy for
responsible computing, which will be inserted in the Faculty Handbook.
The resolution allows each academic or administrative unit to modify
accompanying guidelines to the needs of each unit. A third section of
the resolution dealing with judicial processes was referred back to
committee for clarification.
     -Cornelia Weil