Delta Delta Delta - Cornell University

Cornell Alpha Beta Alumnae Alpha Beta Data Fall 2018 H appy fall, Deltas! I laugh as I'm writing this in August, but in Minnesota this morning, it's in the mid-60s, so it feels much like the fall will. Here's to the crispness of the air, the start of schools everywhere, and the launching of ourselves into the reflective period of the fall. Hope you had a joyful and adventurous summer! We welcome back this year a remarkable set of collegiate chapter sisters and officers. Here's to a successful school year and Tri Delta year, everyone! May you grow and be challenged in ways that mature you, your thinking about the world, and your service to each other. A continued huge thank-you to our remarkable board members and committee members for their fantastic work supporting the house and its needs! Over the summer, house corporation boards across Cornell spent time discussing and reflecting on President Martha Pollack's new guidelines and expectations of the Greek community. I want to take a moment to outline those changes and to share some of the message from the president to our Greek community. As some of you know, there are Greek chapters at Cornell still struggling with hazing, inappropriate behavior toward initiates and members, and disappointing attitudes in the eye of the public and in private spaces. I know as a House Corporation member that I'm proud of the way Tri Deltas behave, act, and serve each other and their fellow Greek community on campus and across the globe. The new standards put into place by Cornell will likely not have a significant effect on our chapter, but they are worth reviewing, as our classmates who are serving their houses may be working to coach and support young men and women in their transitions to the new expectations. The office of Fraternity and Sorority life has created a website outlining the recommendations and tracking changes as they occur. If you are interested, visit the website at https://ccengagement.cornell. edu/sorority-fraternity-life/presidential- reforms. Effective immediately, hazing that has been substantiated will yield chapter suspension and loss of recognition. The loss of recognition is at least three years for cases including coerced alcohol/drug consumption, sexual misconduct, or other forms of violence or mental abuse. Hard alcohol is no longer permitted in a residential Chapter House. Effective this fall, each chapter must have a new member education plan in place before launching recruitment. Mandatory educational programming about university expectations will be implemented. A scorecard including the full judiciary history of each chapter will be available to the campus community and to parents. And event management guidelines will be reviewed for improvement. In the spring of 2019, leadership positions in residential Greek organizations must be held by juniors or seniors who reside in the chapter house. And a review of the Chapter Review Board process will be conducted to ensure the Greek system is on the right track to foster positive environments for all who participate. As of fall 2021, all residential Greek organizations must have a full-time, live-in adviser with a clearly articulated job description. From President Pollack's message to the Greek community about these new expectations: I want to emphasize that holding Greek letter organizations to these high standards does not represent an attack or an attempt to diminish the role of these organizations in student life. To the contrary, this effort is intended to strengthen fraternities and sororities and to help ensure that they remain a part of Cornell for years to come. I look forward to working together to eradicate hazing behavior, to elevate the Greek experience, and to present an example for other universities to follow. It is my hope that all of our Greek letter organizations will emerge stronger as a result of these measures and more fully embody the best that Cornell has to offer. For sororities at Cornell, and our own Alpha Beta Chapter of Tri Delta, these changes are largely in line with the way we have been behaving, practicing, and leading for a long time. Our role as alumnae will be to support our collegiate sisters in the final transition to meet these expectations and to foster an environment of global support for our classmates who may be shepherding their own chapters down this road. My daughter is 15 and a high school sophomore. She already knows that she'll be seeking a college experience where she would have the option of considering the Greek system. My son, a 12-year-old eighth grader, is not so sure he would consider the Greek system. His grandfather (my dad) is finishing a several-year period of service on his national fraternity board of directors (for Alpha Gamma Rho). I want to make sure we support our young men and our young women to thrive in the Greek system, a system that is viewed as an option for both my daughter and my son. Here's wishing our fellow Greek chapters at Cornell much luck as they work toward a supportive environment where everyone thrives! Delta Love, Heather Britt '93 President, Alpha Beta House Corporation heather.rae.britt@gmail.com Cornell President Outlines Expectations of Cornell Greek Community Alpha Beta on Track to Meet Expectations It was a bittersweet goodbye to our seniors. We wish them the best as they graduate!

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