New position to guide and mentor Greek system

The Committee of Fraternities and Sororities has initiated a national search in conjunction with Dean of Students Bruce Reitman for an administrator to run the Office of Greek Life, seven months after plans to establish the office were announced. The search committee hopes that the office will be running by the start of next semester.

A national search is necessary, Reitman said, so that Tufts can locate an individual who will not just be an advocate for the system and plan activities, "but will be an educator with experience working with fraternities and sororities, an educator at an administrative level." The individual will be charged with helping the Greek houses and strengthening their ties with the University. Reitman did not rule out the possibility that someone already at Tufts could fill the position.

The search committee will be comprised of members of the Committee of Fraternities and Sororities (CFS) and chaired by Reitman.

The job description is still being finalized and the opening has not yet been officially announced. When the description is completed, the position and the required qualifications will be announced in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Reitman, however, is "not sure that people in fraternity and sorority positions see the publication." He reasoned that networking and finding out which administrators already do similar work across the country would yield the best result.

The University began researching the Greek life director position a year ago by looking at similar positions at campuses of similar size to Tufts with comparable Greek systems. The University approved the position's initial description this past summer and the School of Arts and Sciences granted funding for the search.

The Greek Life Office will be housed in Dowling Hall in the Dean of Students' suite. As well as working closely with the CFS, the new administrator will support the endeavors, activities, and community service of the Greeks in an effort to maintain good relations between the Greek system and the administration.

One brother at Delta Tau Delta (DTD), Rick Dalyai, thought that the new position was a good idea. "Whenever there's better interaction between the administration and the students, that's a good thing," Dalyai said. "The frats provide a necessary social aspect to the school that the administration understands."

Cabellon, who currently advises the Pan-Hellenic council, will be unable to fill the new position. Since the CFS is the highest governing body for Greek life, "it's hard to be the chair of that committee and be the support for the system," he said.

The administration has recognized that the Greek system needs to rediscover the values of community, brotherhood and sisterhood, and philanthropy upon which it was founded. Administrators have said that rebuilding and accountability are also issues that need to be addressed, and President Larry Bacow _ who gained experience working with the Greek system at MIT _ has expressed disappointment at the abundance of litter and beer cans on Professors' Row. Neighborhood complaints about the Greek houses have been frequent as well.

But despite the ongoing difficulties with the system, Cabellon thinks that it has improved. "In the two years I've worked with [fraternities and sororities], I think we've come a long way to show people that the Greek system is not just the stereotypes that most people associate with it," he said.

For instance, the Inter-Greek Council co-sponsored this weekend's Halloween on the Hill event. Local children visited fraternity and sorority houses to trick-or-treat.

But one freshman, who spoke anonymously, said that "the frats are the biggest nightlife here on campus, and I don't think that trying to alter them, even to improve them, will change the fact that people go to frats to party."