Workgroups formed in response to a report analyzing strengths and weaknesses within Greek Life at MU concluded meetings at the end of the fall semester. But the Office of Greek Life has yet to reveal the workgroups’ findings or overarching goals.
Council presidents and officials in the Office of Greek Life refused comment or said they were unable to answer questions in regard to the workgroups, instead deferring questions to Greek Life Director Janna Basler.
The Npower report, released in spring 2010, identified 12 weaknesses within Greek Life communities. The workgroups were formed according to these weaknesses. For example, the Npower report listed Alcohol Abuse and Risk Management as a weakness with lawlessness as a focus.
“Many stakeholders described lawlessness in the (fraternity and sorority) community when it comes to alcohol,” the Npower report stated. “General comments included ‘…it’s pretty wild out there,’ and ‘game days are an excuse to be stupid. There’s lawlessness. It’s a free for all.’”
According to the report, some sorority members said they recognize the threat of alcohol and have seen their peers taking things to the extreme. In the report, Panhellenic Association members described their fears about something bad potentially happening in the Greek Life community due to alcohol abuse, as well as the general perspective that this generation as a whole drinks too much.
“One sorority woman stated, ‘When we drink, we get wasted. We need scary facts about alcohol, not the social norming information. People just say, ‘I’m not the norm,’” stated the report.
The alcohol workgroup, along with seven others, were formed to tackle this issue and others addressed in the report.
“The workgroups met last fall and created objectives and strategies,” Basler said. “Over the holidays, we took the information the work groups compiled and synthesized it into a document of all the goals and objectives of all the workgroups.”
The goal is to begin rolling out the documents to Greek Life’s other stakeholders by February. Stakeholders include students, staff, alumni, advisors and national offices, Basler said. This list also includes Cathy Scroggs, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; Director of Student Life Mark Lucas; members of the Office of Greek Life and the four council presidents. Together, this group makes up the Greek Community Implementation Team.
“(Six task forces) will be brought together in the spring to determine what needs to be done with certain policies, if anything,” Basler said. “Recommendations will then be made to the (Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association). The task forces will be made up of students, alumni and staff.”
Future steps concerning the Greek Life Strategic Plan will involve educating the community and implementing possible new policies, Basler said.
“Greek Life has never had a strategic plan of how to address community issues,” Basler said. “I find it rewarding. Before, the PHA, IFC, the Multicultural Greek Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council each had their own perspectives, yet the Greek Community Strategic Plan has made the general perspective more community-specific.”