Action, not tolerance, needed

These are dark days for the Greek system at UNC.

First came the death of former Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity president Courtland Smith. A subsequent investigation into DKE rush activities has now culminated in a year of social probation.

Then a Sept. 15 cocaine bust at 211 Church St. yielded 76.8 grams of the drug and implicated Julianne Kornegay Howard, a member of the Chi Omega sorority, according to Chapel Hill police reports.

Jonathan Ray Plymale, who is also connected to the Greek system, and Eliza McQuail Vaughan were charged with trafficking and cocaine possession with the intent to distribute, reports state. Benjamin Thomas Nash and Hugh Graham Jones were also charged, reports state.

And it didn’t end there. An additional 121 grams of cocaine were confiscated from Plymale’s apartment in a building that houses members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, reports state. Additionally, Elizabeth Roberts Cogdell and Sarah Thomas Coxe, both affiliated with Chi Omega sorority, were arrested Monday for cocaine possession, reports state.

Relations between the Greek community and UNC have reached a crossroads, both parties involved have acknowledged.

Winston Crisp, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, had a provocative message for this year’s fraternity pledges. He stated that the “tolerance of the University of cleaning up disasters on a weekly basis is over.”

But while he told the Greek community that he is “tired of standing up for you and having you spit in my face,” he said little about the concrete steps that the University will take to effectively enforce its policies.

His hyperbole was intimidating. But if the University truly has come to the end of its “tolerance,” then it needs to explicitly state what it is willing to do.

Recent events have not just reflected poorly on the Greek system, but also on the University as a whole. The two entities are not mutually exclusive. And the relationship between them is poorly defined.

The University recognizes fraternities and sororities and it oversees the system through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. But within this framework, the Greek organizations themselves are relatively autonomous.

“Tolerance” is not in the description of the University’s role. Therefore, Crisp should no longer countenance policy violations.

But the University shouldn’t simply decry the Greek system in order to distance itself and then use that as an excuse to avoid any culpability for the current state of affairs.

The fact that the University has been tolerant toward fraternities and sororities that violate rules constitutes a failure on its part.

And sanctioning DKE for its violations is not a panacea for the system at large. Either the University needs to articulate a clear and consistent approach to how it will stand behind its harsh criticisms, or it need not criticize at all.

So far, officials have failed to elucidate that approach.

On the Greek side, Brent Blonkvist, vice president for internal affairs for the Interfraternity Council, recently extended the olive branch. “I think you can see that we want more of a real relationship,” he said. “We have a desire to start taking responsibility for our actions.”

But beyond their willingness to cooperate, Greek leaders and those in fraternities and sororities need to demonstrate they are serious about upholding high standards.

A great place for both the University and the Greek system to start is the Greek Judicial Board. It was created to “advance the general interests of the Greek community in connection with the welfare of the student body and the University as a whole,” according to its bylaws.

But it is composed exclusively of members of the Greek community. And while that did not stop it from sanctioning DKE, there is cause for concern that it might not always be fair and impartial.

This also creates a disconnect between the University, which technically has oversight authority, and the Greek system, which is basically allowed to police itself.

Jenny Levering, the assistant dean of students for fraternity and sorority life, has an advisory role on that board. She said her role is to work with the Greek councils to “make sure policies and enforcement mechanisms are in place to self-govern.”

It is puzzling, then, that the University would stand behind policies that grant significant autonomy when it is so vocally discontent with the current state of Greek affairs.

If the University is truly concerned about the state of Greek life, then it needs to articulate clear policy changes that increase its oversight. If not, then it should cease its verbal attacks against a system that it has for years implicitly endorsed.

We’ve heard the rhetoric from both sides. Now it’s time for action.