Greek life on the mend at UVM

By Brent Hallenbeck
Free Press Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Justin McCormick's life at the University of Vermont has improved because of Greek life.

The president of Pi Kappa Alpha has made friends for life, but he said the social connections of a fraternity go beyond his brothers. He has done volunteer work with community organizations and student groups on campus. The work, he said, has taught him how to be a leader.

Still, the Montpelier native knows fraternities and sororities have a long way to go before they overcome years of trouble at UVM.

"It has improved," said McCormick, 21, a senior who's majoring in psychology and economics. "It's still going through a transition period."

Fraternity and sorority members, UVM administrators and Burlington police say Greek life has made slow but steady improvement. Membership in fraternities and sororities has grown from 6 percent of UVM's student population in 1998 to 8 percent this year. Greek life students are working more closely with police to make sure noisy run-ins with neighbors are kept to a minimum.

There were few signs of hope five years ago. Greek organizations were at the center of several problems then, the most serious of which involved a photo showing pledges with the Acacia fraternity making an obscene gesture to a minority student.

Acacia has since been dissolved. The university passed rules in 1998 requiring fraternities and sororities to maintain minimum membership numbers, grade-point averages and community service projects.

Students and administrators say those rules helped filter out the poor-performing groups and strengthened those that remain. They also know a mistake by one of UVM's 14 fraternities and sororities will cast Greek life in the familiar dim light of the past.

"Our major problem is p.r.," said Kendall McPeters, a junior from Tulsa, Okla., who belongs to the Delta Delta Delta sorority. "There is definitely a stigma attached to Greek life."


Chiseling away

Greek life in the region has been beleaguered in recent years. Middlebury College phased out fraternities and sororities in favor of coed "social houses." Police cited 42 students with underage drinking this month at an off-campus fraternity party involving Castleton State College students.

Across Lake Champlain in New York state, administrators at Plattsburgh State University dismissed 10 students involved in hazing that led to the death of a fraternity pledge. Plattsburgh also suspended one sorority and withdrew the recognition of a second for violations of student-club regulations. Colgate University ordered a fraternity to close by the end of the year for hazing violations.

Greek students at UVM say such examples hurt all fraternities and sororities.

UVM students say socializing is still the emphasis of the groups, and drinking is part of that. They also say they're putting more focus on volunteering for community organizations such as the United Way, the Baird Center for Children and Families and the King Street Youth Center.

"It chisels away from the 'Animal House' mentality," said Roy Simpadian, 22, of Ridgewood, N.J., a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.


'Ongoing concerns'

Pat Brown remembers when 20 or so Greek houses dotted the city's landscape in the late 1970s and early '80s, and 15 percent of UVM students belonged to fraternities or sororities.

"Those chapters that left weren't chapters that were succeeding," said Brown, UVM's longtime director of student life.

He's not sure why Greek life has declined in popularity since then. The increase in the drinking age from 18 to 21 could be a factor. Brown said alcohol was a focus of Greek life when all students could drink, but when the drinking age rose to 21 Greek organizations had to shift that focus. That put more emphasis on community service, Brown said, and might have squeezed out some of the weaker chapters that only wanted to party.

He said there have been no recent flare-ups of trouble among UVM's Greek organizations. He said he has "ongoing concerns" that hazing and drinking problems could resurface.

UVM reviews Greek chapters twice a year, and Brown said if they're not meeting standards the university tries to help them improve. If a chapter is struggling to meet minimum grade standards, Brown said, the university might point out that members are spending too much time partying and not enough studying, and could schedule the members for study-skills sessions.

"The goal," Brown said, "is how do we make them successful?"


Decreasing noise


The city of Burlington strengthened its noise ordinance this year, increasing fines for a first offense to as much as $500 and including party-goers -- not just party hosts -- as those who can be fined. Lt. Rich Long of the Burlington Police Department believes the law is working, as residents tell him things are quieter this semester.

"They're saying that they have noticed a definite decrease in the number of house parties and noise violations," said Long, who patrols part of the Hill Section that includes much of UVM.

Only one fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi at 368 Main St., appears on a list of city noise-violation citations since late March. Some members of UVM's Interfraternity Council at a meeting last week talked about whether they should lobby to reduce the fines spelled out in the law.

Long said Greek organizations at UVM have reached out to police in recent months, asking to form liaison groups with the department. "We love the idea," Long said of the plan, which would assign one officer as a liaison to each Greek chapter.

He said fraternity and sorority members tell him they learned of the liaison program at a recent national conference, and they want to improve the image of Greek life. He suspects the sharper teeth in the noise ordinance have also increased cooperation.

"It's certainly causing some dialogue," Long said, "and dialogue is good."
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at 660-1844 or bhallenb@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com