10 Greek-letter organizations to be

on Colgate campus

Friday, June 03, 2005

 

Two years after Colgate’s trustees adopted a plan requiring that all students (except for 250 seniors who are traditionally granted permission to live off campus) live in university-owned housing, Colgate is preparing to sign the last set of documents that will give the university full ownership of eight Greek-letter houses, completing many months of discussion and negotiation between Colgate and Greek-letter alumni leaders.

Six active Greek-letter organizations – Beta Theta Pi, Delta Upsilon, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Delta Theta, and Theta Chi – have transferred ownership of their houses to Colgate.

One inactive organization, Phi Gamma Delta, has graciously chosen to donate its property to the university and details of that transfer are currently being finalized. Sigma Chi will terminate a long-term lease agreement with the university, bringing to a close the negotiation and acquisition process.

In addition to the seven active Greek-letter organizations listed above, three others that are not currently based in houses will receive university housing this fall, bringing the number of active Greek-letter organizations on campus to 10.

“This is an important new chapter in the relationship between Colgate and its Greek-letter organizations,” said Colgate President Rebecca Chopp, “and I thank all of those Greek-letter students and alumni who have worked with the university to get us to this point.”

“This spring we began focusing our attention on transition issues and I have been impressed and very pleased with the dialogue between the dean of the college staff, fraternity and sorority students, and their alumni leaders,” Chopp said.

“These efforts will help Colgate form an upperclass community of residences that preserve the positive aspects of the traditional system while creating new opportunities for students to form friendships and develop the skills they need.”

Greek-letter alumni are already finding new ways to connect with undergraduates.

The newly-formed Fraternity and Sorority Alumni Initiative committee, led by Chopp, includes representatives from the alumni organizations of active Greek-letter houses.

The group will host a panel discussion at this weekend’s Reunion celebration, at which they will discuss their efforts to serve as a resource and a liaison between Greek-letter alumni and the university, participate in the transition of fraternity and sorority house ownership to the university, and help increase the number of alumni serving as mentors and resources for students.

“The dialogue has been intense at times but the organizations whose members voted overwhelmingly to approve the sale of their properties demonstrated a strong commitment to current and future generations of students,” said Bob Tyburski, Colgate vice president.

“Their commitment is matched by Colgate’s sincere desire to foster a new and productive partnership with the Greek-letter organizations.”

Students living on Broad Street in college houses, fraternities, and sororities have been working together through a Broad Street Community Council that meets regularly to solve problems, plan events, and create structures and self-governance.

In addition to the 10 Greek-letter houses, next year’s Broad Street Community will include seven theme houses and 13 town house communities all representing a wide range of interests.

Living in the Broad Street Community provides students with opportunities to live with groups of friends in a wide variety of houses and town houses.

Only one active undergraduate Greek-letter organization, Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE), has chosen not to transfer ownership of its house to Colgate and is instead pursuing legal action against the university.

Two other houses on Broad Street are currently owned by the alumni corporations of inactive Greek-letter organizations.

Alpha Tau Omega has agreed to lease its property to Colgate, providing much needed space for library staff in the coming academic year. Kappa Delta Rho has not entered into negotiations with Colgate.

“As with any transition, there are some details to be resolved, and some individuals want to keep everything as they remember it,” said Tyburski. “But for the first time since I joined the system in the early 1970s adversarial sentiments are being replaced by an awareness that the system needed new forms of support that Colgate could best provide. A common goal to create a Greek-letter system that can succeed has formed a strong new foundation.”