A private consulting firm hired to work with Tufts' fraternities and sororities last semester is putting the finishing touches on its evaluative report, which has not yet been made public.
The Tufts administration hired the firm, t.Jelke Solutions, following a string of tumultuous years in the Greek system that included the probation of several on-campus fraternity chapters and the disbandment of the Delta Tau Delta (DTD) fraternity.
"We didn't have a good year last year," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said.
"The [Judiciary of the Committee on Fraternities and Sororities] has taken strong action," Reitman said, "But somehow the feeling [is that] we're dealing with a lot of individual chapter problematic behavior. There should be a systemic way of dealing with it."
Looking for advice, Reitman hired Tom Jelke from t.Jelke Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in higher education and Greek life. Jelke visited Tufts last semester from Sept. 27 to Sept. 30, spent time gathering information, and produced a report analyzing and assessing the Greek system.
At the Greek Leadership Retreat on Jan. 20 to 21, Todd Sullivan, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, presented some of the report to the Greek leadership and the Committee on Fraternities and Sororities (CFS).
"The portion of the Jelke report that I have seen did not specifically outline any changes that should occur in the Greek system. It simply listed some of the themes that would come out in the full report," Raymond Radovich, current Inter-Greek Council president, said.
Radovich, former president of Alpha Tau Omicron (ATO), also met with Jelke during his review of the Tufts system.
The full report has yet to be released for student consumption as the administration has yet to finish reviewing its contents. Reitman was uncertain of when it would be released.
While Reitman could not speak about the details of the report, he said that it contained "very few surprises," and that the administration would undertake a "bunch of tweaks."
One change will be a shift in approach: dealing with Greek issues systematically, as opposed to dealing with fraternities and sororities on an individual basis.
Reitman said he made the formal request for Jelke's work but "the idea percolated up from the Greek system."
The fact that the report has not been released to Greek students in its entirety "has some people concerned," Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) president Kyle Hiatt said.
"I know a lot of people are apprehensive, but the impression that we got was he was helpful," Hiatt said.
Jelke gave the SigEp house specific recommendations during his visit. "We had a really successful recruitment, partly due to his recommendations," Hiatt said.
Hiatt was unsure of the report's ability to create a systematic approach to fraternities and sororities. "I don't know if [that approach] will be as helpful to talk about Greek life," he said.
Jelke is currently traveling with a Semester at Sea program, and could not be reached for comment.
According to their website, t.Jelke Solutions' function is to "assess and evaluate the programs, operations, culture, and dynamics of your fraternity and sorority community... and provide you with feedback and ideas that will help you set and achieve your short and long-term goals."
Approximately 12 to 13 percent of undergraduates participate in the Tufts Greek community. According to Reitman, too many Greeks are "not paying enough attention to good values."
The closing of DTD last year was significant because Tufts and the DTD national organization disagreed on the extent of disciplinary action that should be taken against the fraternity.
Tufts recommended a one-year suspension followed by probation, but, according to Reitman, "the national office of DTD didn't like what they found, and decided to close [the chapter]."
