Leading with a purpose: how the Mizzou Greek Alliance aspires to amplify voices and initiatives
The Mizzou Greek Alliance is working toward strengthening the fraternity experience by enacting new policies and procedures to promote quality of life within the community.
The Mizzou Greek Alliance is made up of and operated by a volunteer board of University of Missouri graduates and campus fraternity alumni. Their mission is to benefit students in Greek life as well as the entire MU community, serving as a new cornerstone of campus culture. Through working with University administration, the Alliance is working toward implementing policies and procedures that will cultivate a positive and safe environment for fraternity members.
The President of The Greek Alliance, Bob Selsor attended MU himself from 1978 to 1982 and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He speaks on the Alliance’s goals: promotion of diversity, training in the prevention of hazing and alcohol/ substance abuse and the passing of Danny’s Law.
“There are problems facing the Greek system that need to be addressed,” Bob Selsor said. “Most of our board members have children or grandchildren in the Greek houses now. We felt that we had the knowledge and experience to contribute something. We have long memories and a refined understanding of many issues now.”
The Alliance provides information about training programs designed to educate members on anti-hazing practices and enhance the fraternity experience at MU. It is working toward administering a safety certification program with the goal to promote general welfare and hold fraternity chapters accountable. This program sets them apart from other organizations, allowing any interested parties to make a well-informed decision before joining a fraternity chapter.
The first training program is focused on Legal Risk Management related to safety issues and legal consequences. They take a look at legal risk management trends for fraternities, and provide solutions to avoid incidents and protect alumni volunteers from any lawsuit exposure. The second program spotlights the importance of student leadership strategies and the prevention of hazing, substance abuse and sexual assault.
To further the conversation of hazing prevention, the Mizzou Greek Alliance sponsored a webinar titled the “Educational Webinar To Support Mental Health In Greek Houses” on April 20. The panel was aimed toward Greek officers, chapter advisors, house directors, alumni and parents to provide them with available resources and a better understanding of mental health.
The meeting was moderated by Scott Fussell, the President and co-founder of The Shift Initiative, a non-profit built to change the way people think, talk, act and care about mental health and wellness. It also featured panelists and credentialed mental health professionals from MU. They touched on areas of stigma reduction, substance use and abuse, individual and environmental red flags. They also provided resources to better understand the current and ever-changing environment.
In the start of the 2023-2024 school year, the Mizzou Greek Alliance released a training video designed to inform and prevent hazing among the members of fraternities at MU. This 26-minute video, called “Arm Yourself to Say No” is now a part of their training and education program. It has been distributed to the Alliance’s 16 member fraternities for presentation to incoming pledge classes, active chapters and officers.
The video is supported by and created in part by the Santulli family. They are the parents of Danny Santulli, a former MU student who suffered the harsh consequences of hazing during his freshman year in October 2021 while pledging Phi Gamma Delta. Danny was ordered to drink an entire bottle of Tito’s vodka at a fraternity “Pledge Dad Reveal Night” event. Since no one called 911 in fear of criminal liability, Danny is now blind, and unable to walk or talk. Students all around the country may now be hesitant to call 911 because of this same fear of punishment.
“The Danny Santulli incident was a real spark for us,” Selsor said. “We were outraged by it. My son was a freshman pledge at the very same time Santulli was. It was sobering. We felt like a more direct approach was needed to address hazing.”
In recognition of this, Missouri Rep. Travis Smith introduced a bill in the Missouri legislature to incentivize bystanders to intervene when they observe a peer is in distress. Smith calls it “Danny’s Law” and it is analogous to a ‘Good Samaritan’ law. However, this bill only protects the whistle blower from criminal liability, not necessarily all parties involved.
“I’ve been a lawyer for decades now,” Selsor said. “We understand the idea of promoting best practices and liability issues very well. When our board members pooled our resources and contacts, we were astounded. We have several people in the legislature, several lobbyists, and a number of people in the governor’s office. When we all started working together, we realized that we have a lot of influence.”
On April 25, the Missouri House of Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee voted HB 1443, known as Danny’s Law in honor of the MU fraternity pledge and hazing victim Danny Santulli, was voted out of Committee with a “do pass” recommendation by a margin of 11-2.
“There are 6000 Greek chapters in America, the vast majority of them will not do bad things to you,” Selsor said. “However, there are some that will. A lot of people who are detractors from the Greek system, focus on the bad things. Part of my message is that a good Greek house is a positive thing in the lives of its members. Most boys want to do the right thing. We’re just focused on those who don’t.”
In addition to addressing these challenges, the Mizzou Greek Alliance highlights the importance of academic excellence and philanthropy, as well as finding friendship and belonging within the rich tapestry of Greek life.
“When you look at the rates of depression among college age populations now, there is data to show that it is lower among Greek organizations,” Selsor said. “They have a support system. A ready group of friends. I have many positive memories of Mizzou and am trying to give back in any way I know how.”
Copy Edited by Hannah Taylor
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com