Addressing issues such as hazing and excessive alcohol violations, the Greek Community Strategic Plan will be available to the public on the Office of Greek Life’s website later this week.

The plan will include important recommendations on how to devise solutions to Greek Life’s most prevalent weaknesses.

“We’ve been rolling out (the Greek Community Strategic Plan) since January,” Greek Life Director Janna Basler. “First it went to the four council presidents, then to the executive boards, chapter presidents and chapter advisors.”

Basler said the presentation of the plan to the chapter presidents was followed by a dialogue that went well but that the information presented was a lot to handle in one sitting.

“We’re encouraging the chapters to come ask questions as they start to reflect,” Basler said. “(The plan) is hard to synthesize in one sitting.”

The Greek Community Strategic Plan focuses on seven main issues, three of which will be addressed by every council within MU’s Greek Life System: values-based community standards, alcohol and community competition.

The four remaining issues will be addressed according to councils. Under each issue addressed in the plan are several themes from which task forces might be formed, depending on their specificity and importance, Basler said.

For example, a task force will be created to revise the current policy for alcohol-free housing, but a task force will not be formed to ensure every chapter will host a nonalcoholic event once every school year, the plan stated.

Each task force will be assigned a timeline spanning three to five years due to the plan’s size.

“Some things need more immediate attention and some things needed more long-term consideration,” Basler said. “The next steps will be contingent upon the timelines.”

Although freshman residency in fraternity houses was previously called into question last semester, the timeline for any policy creation will extend into fall 2011, and actual policy implementation will not begin until fall 2014, the plan stated.

Despite the plan’s expansive timeline, Basler said she is excited for the large community involvement necessary for the plan’s successful implementation.

“Our whole goal is to take our community from good to great,” Basler said. “We have so many people to help shape that vision and give it a voice. The majority of (the Greek Community Strategic Plan) comes from student input. There are more students at the table that are apart of strengthening the (Greek Life) community to make our objectives come to life.”

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs echoed this sentiment.

“(The plan) is trying to address some of the issues that everyone in the Greek Community wants to address such as chapter size, housing and hazing,” Scroggs said. “It’s not just about University policy telling them not to (violate rules), it’s about members of the Greek Community saying, ‘We’re better than this, this is who we want to be.’”

But Basler said the biggest challenge associated with the plan’s successful implementation will be keeping the dream alive.

“Some students that were apart of the Npower focus groups aren’t here anymore,” Basler said. “There will constantly be a new group of students filtering in. We’ll have to tell them, ‘Let’s talk about your role now. There’s a concept, and you still have a role in how it’s shaped.’”