TO THE EDITOR:
Thursday’s article, “Freshmen assimilation at center of rush issue for UNC Greek system,” highlighted the Board of Trustees’ redundant and unending debate concerning whether or not the University should force Greek organizations to recruit members only during the spring semester.
The majority, if not the entire Greek community, is opposed to such a mandate due to the fact that it would diminish vital first-semester revenues for fraternities and sororities, while simultaneously stretching rush out over the entire fall semester. Mandatory deferred recruitment would arguably create more problems than it would solve.
However, the big question that no one is asking is why the University, a public institution, has the right to tell several smaller private organizations when they can and cannot accept new members. And why is the Board of Trustees only targeting Greek organizations? Non-Greek student organizations are not subject to such regulations. The Daily Tar Heel isn’t prohibited from hiring freshmen writers during the fall because new students will be distracted by the added responsibility. Athletic teams already have their freshmen on rigorous schedules before classes even begin. So, how is a short rush period at the beginning of the fall semester any more distracting than student involvement in other extracurricular organizations?
The Greek community has a higher GPA than the University average and gives back to UNC and the local community on a highly disproportionate level. Why then does the University feel so compelled to punish and exercise control over fraternities and sororities while offering little to no support in return?
Patrick Fleming
Class of ’10
