Task force examines system's future

In what could be the single biggest self-examination in the Greek system's history, all three Greek umbrella groups are joining together to form the new Greek Task Force. Thirty-six representatives of the BiCultural Inter-Greek Council, the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council will form committees to discuss current and future issues involving the Greek system. "I think the concept of the Task Force is excellent," said IFC President and Phi Sigma Kappa brother Hayden Horowitz. "Essentially it's bringing every group involved with the Greek system on this campus together to formulate methods on improving various aspects of our organization." Three subcommittees will make up the Task Force, including Membership Development, Academic Support and Community Development. According to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Tricia Phaup, there is a balance of IFC, Panhel and BIG-C representatives on each subcommittee. Phaup said the Membership Development committee will examine rushing and pledging procedures and attempt to create a "structural understanding" of the intake processes for the three umbrella groups. BIG-C President and Alpha Phi Alpha brother Wayne Wilson said this committee is important to the Big-C because the group's intake process is often misinterpreted. "The processes that the Big-C utilizes are more noticeably different [from the IFC and Panhel]," said the Wharton senior. "Our participation in the Task Force is to get out the differences and uniqueness of the BIG-C and to make sure that no blanket rules are placed out to hurt the BIG-C inadvertently." A "blanket rule" that almost affected the Big-C was the Commission on Strengthening the Community's suggestion to move rush to the sophomore year. While most Big-C chapters hold rush in the spring -- all have different policies -- Wilson said they need to hold rush freshman year in order to maintain enough members in each chapter. The Academic Support committee, Phaup said, will work on ways to improve academic support to Greeks -- including the continuation of classes held in fraternity and sorority houses. Though the Greek system's grade point average in general is high, "we can continue to improve," Phaup said. The Community Development committee will focus on community relations and on increasing the number of philanthropy projects. Horowitz, a College senior, said he is pleased that the Task Force will incorporate ideas from all three umbrella organizations. "It's more or less along the lines of everything we've tried to do between the IFC, Panhel and Big-C -- improve relations, improve understanding and working together because we're part of a greater Greek system," he said. Phaup said the three subcommittees should be finished with their recommendations by mid-February, at which time they will submit their ideas to an oversight committee comprised of the three umbrella presidents and members of the Greek Alumni Council. There is no word yet on when the recommendations might actually be implemented. "It should be interesting to see what they come up with and where it goes from there," Phaup said.

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