LEGAL SUMMIT INITIATES DIALOGUE

Timothy M. Burke, Manley & Burke

On September 6th and 7th the National Association of Student Personnel Advisors’ (NASPA) Fraternity/Sorority Network, chaired by Barbara Hollman, Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Montana, hosted a National Legal Summit on Fraternity/Sorority life at Texas Christian University.

In attendance were representatives of NASPA, and leaders of the National Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). Also attending were representatives of the Association of Fraternity Advisors (AFA) and the Association of Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA). The twenty-three participants at the summit included six former national fraternity or sorority presidents and eleven College Student Affairs Vice Presidents.

This legal summit focused on identifying standards and expectations for collegiate chapters of international fraternities and sororities that support the campus educational mission without violating student and organizational constitutional rights.

The lengthy discussions on both the relationships between colleges and fraternities and sororities and risk management issues were facilitated by Harriet B. Harral, Ph.D., the Executive Director of Leadership Fort Worth. Repeatedly during the conference, the need for two-way communication was recognized on issues as diverse as developing relationship statements and dealing with substance abuse issues. While the participants recognized that diverse cultures and viewpoints exist on the nine hundred plus campuses which host Greek organizations and among the more than eighty fraternal organizations which have chapters on college campuses, the group found a clear consensus on a number of issues. These included a recognition that while education efforts related to substance abuse and risk management must continue, both fraternal groups and the educational institutions must improve the enforcement and where necessary, disciplinary response to violations of the law.

The discussion opened the way to efforts at joint programming on several issues and underscored the need to encourage greater participation by both alumni and faculty as fraternity advisors and highlighted the need for better communication between fraternal groups and college administrators, particularly at the policy-making level. Follow-up discussions are to take place during both the AFA meeting in San Francisco in December and the NASPA meeting next March.