THE GREEK LIFE: PAST PRESENT & FUTURE, Building Bridges

and Tammy Polonsky In a Daily Pennsylvanian/Vision race relations poll conducted last year, 58 percent of the nearly 400 students surveyed said they did not think the Greek system had a positive effect on race relations. A lot has changed in a year. Last year, the University was still feeling the aftershocks of several racially-oriented events, including the now-infamous "water buffalo" case, the confiscation of more than 14,000 copies of the DP and several bomb threats received at the W.E.B. Dubois College House. Today, the three Greek umbrella organizations -- the BiCultural Inter-Greek Council, the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council -- are working together to improve race relations within the system. And Greek leaders say there has been a lot of progress. "With Panhel and IFC the communication has definitely improved over the last semester," said BIG-C Vice President and Sigma Lambda Upsilon sister Christina Cordero. New projects such as an upcoming Greek Roundtable are allowing representatives from all three groups to "sit down together and confront issues that are relevant to the Greek system as a whole," according to Panhel President and Alpha Phi sister Suzanne Rosenberg. From the beginning of this semester with the first co-sponsored Greek Orientation to a newly-created task force to examine the future of the Greek system, the three umbrella organizations have established that they can indeed work together. Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Tricia Phaup said recently that OFSA groups, such as the Greek Peer Judicial Board and the Greek Social Action Committee, have equal representation from all three organizations. These projects and groups help to "foster communication between all three organizations," said Rosenberg, a College senior. · But while representatives from each group say they hope that their efforts will eventually help unify the Greek system, they also value their own individuality. "The reason why there are three separate entities is because each of the three organizations has different goals," Rosenberg said. "By having different organizations we are able to concentrate more exclusively on those issues that are pertinent to our respective organizations." And each organization seems to have its own pertinent issues. Big-C President and Alpha Phi Alpha brother Wayne Wilson said recently that his organization's primary purpose, contrary to campus perception, is not social. "We address the specific issues that Latino and African American students face," the Wharton senior said. "We focus on community service, cultural awareness and education. Social [activities] come in as an extra." Rosenberg said that Panhel does not really focus directly on cultural issues like the Big-C, but also concentrates on community service and academics. IFC President Hayden Horowitz, a Phi Sigma Kappa brother, similarly described his organizations emphasis as community service, social interaction between brothers and academic support. Because the Big-C has such a different agenda than Panhel and the IFC, Wilson says his group is often misunderstood. The group has been criticized in the past for being separatist and at times disruptive. But Cordero said the Big-C does not intentionally isolate itself from the rest of campus. "There are so few of us that it requires us to come together and have a strong voice and be visible on campus," she said. She added that the Big-C publicizes its events to the entire campus and cannot be held responsible if only African American and Latino students attend. But Sigma Delta Tau President and College senior Sondra Goldschein said many members of her sorority have been attending some Big-C events, including the freshman step show held last month. "I make a point of publicizing things from the Big-C at our meetings," Goldschein said. "If I see a poster then I pass it out and put one up on our bulletin board?I always keep my eyes and ears open." In mid-September, Superblock residents complained that a Zeta Phi Beta sorority event was too loud. Last year's Penn Relays Block Party evoked similar complaints. According to Wilson, many small fraternity and sorority rituals which take place in Superblock are often met with racial obscenities, spitting and the throwing of glass bottles. Wilson and Cordero insist that students react this way because they do not realize what the events mean. They added that the small Superblock rituals -- which include marching, chanting and singing -- are usually only about 15 minutes in length. "We're not out there to disturb people," Cordero said. "We are celebrating the founding of a chapter, national organization, or the admission of a member. It's an expression of pride -- we don't have a house or visibility on campus so this gives us a chance to make a presence." · The Greek system has initiated several new projects this year, aimed at increasing communication and awareness between the Big-C, IFC and Panhel. Wilson said since the Greek system as a whole has so many members, it is an ideal forum for discussing issues of diversity. "The Greek system can serve as a tool for diversity," he said. "We're using the Greek system as an opportunity to bridge the gaps." When members of all three umbrella organizations met during the President's Retreat at the beginning of the year, Horowitz says, they put the Greek system's potential as an avenue for improving race relations to use. "We had a discussion about the differences between each organization and each individual constituency," the College senior said. "We worked to break down the stereotypes. That opportunity puts us in a better place that a lot of other members of campus." The Greek Roundtable, which is scheduled to begin next week, will bring together Wilson, Horowitz, Rosenberg, and the presidents of all Greek chapters at the University. According to Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Tricia Phaup, the Roundtable discussions will "look at global issues that affect the Greek system overall." Rosenberg said she expects the Roundtable will also provide an opportunity to discuss common philanthropy and social event ideas. "This [aspect] needs to be improved and worked upon," she said. "Through the Roundtable we'll be able to know what events each organization is planning and be able to hopefully sponsor more common projects." In addition to the Roundtable, OFSA is coordinating a task force to examine the current state of the Greek system. The task force, which involves more than 30 students from the Big-C, IFC and Panhel, will have three committees: Membership Development, Academic Support and Community Development. Phaup said she hopes to receive the final reports from each committee by mid-February. An oversight committee, which will include members of the Greek Alumni Council, will then evaluate the reports and help to institute suggested changes. · While the umbrella organizations have helped to improve relations in the Greek system during the past few semesters, many feel that it is up to the individual chapters to continue this progress. "Minority and Caucasian students don't get to interact with each other as much as they should," Alpha Kappa Alpha President Brynee Gandy said. "As members of sororities and fraternities?it is our responsibility to encourage that interaction." Most importantly, Greek leaders remain optimistic about furthering relations in the future. "Much progress has been made but much more can be achieved," Rosenberg said.

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