Alpha Chi Omega - University of Missouri

7 Alpha Chi Omega Campus Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Board Presents Recommendations on Hazing Prevention and Member Education I ssues facing sororities and fraternities continue to change and are often a reflection of evolving society norms. There is no doubt that social media and the internet have helped expose some bad behavior by members of Greek organizations. Universities and Greek organizations, including the University of Missouri and Alpha Chi Omega, are united in doing what they can to eliminate such behaviors. In 2017, the University of Missouri commissioned the higher education consulting firm, Dyad Strategies, to assess the status of Greek life at Mizzou. In their final report, Dyad recommended the formation of a Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Board to develop strategies that address various issues they identified, with the most crucial being the prevention of hazing and member education. A 40-member advisory board was formed and in December 2018, the board released their recommendations to members of the University's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) and representatives of fraternities and sororities on campus. Below are the advisory board's recommendations for all Mizzou fraternity and sorority chapters. Please note, these are recommendations and not final decisions. Six-Week New Member Education Period Across All Chapters Country-wide findings indicate that longer new member periods increase the risk of hazing. Because the length of new member periods varies by chapter, the board recommends a consistent six-week new member period across all chapters which ends with initiation. Potential extensions of the new member period (such as a delay of initiation to review grades) would be allowed with the consent of the OFSL, chapter advisor and national headquarters of the chapter. Alpha Chi Omega moved to a six-week new member period followed by initiation many years ago. Encourage Self-Reporting of Hazing Incidents The board noted that to create a safer culture on campus it is crucial to have a policy ensuring that individuals are comfortable reporting incidents without fear of punishment. The Dyad report highlights the University of Kentucky's "Rights of Those Who Report" hazing policy as an example for a policy at Mizzou. The University would outline these rights and responsibilities to chapter officers each year and, ideally, encourage a dialogue with the University and OFSL on hazing prevention. Additional recommendations, developed with the intent of creating consistent messaging and best practices across chapters, include: Regular training for new member educators, facilitated by the OFSL. A universal new member orientation program, developed by the OFSL and governing councils. Annual review of each chapter's new member processes by OFSL; must be approved before new member education period can begin. The OFSL presented these recommendations in an open forum on December 4, 2018, followed by a question and answer session. As a show of good faith to Greek life, the OFSL clarified that, among other practices, students living in non-Greek student housing would be held to the same standards as Greek organizations. In addition, individual actions will be examined first regarding disciplinary action; the OFSL will then determine whether individuals are solely to blame or the chapter is complicit. For more information, please reach out to mudeanofstudents@missouri.edu. Sororities, Fraternities, Students File Federal and State Lawsuits that Challenge Harvard's Ban on Single-Sex Organizations O n December 3, 2018, sororities, fraternities and students filed two lawsuits challenging a Harvard sanctions policy that punishes students who join off-campus, single-sex social organizations. The lawsuits describe how Harvard used a campaign of threats and intimidation to scare students into abandoning their fundamental rights to free association and to live free of sex discrimination. As background, in May 2016, Harvard announced a new policy stating that beginning with the class of 2021, undergraduates at Harvard who are also members of unrecognized single- gender social organizations (which includes sororities and fraternities) will not be permitted to hold leadership positions in recognized student organizations or on athletic teams and they will not be eligible for letters of recommendation for scholarship opportunities. In the federal suit, a broad coalition of students and women's and men's organizations impacted by Harvard's sanctions—two international sororities, two international fraternities, a Cambridge fraternity chapter, and three current Harvard students—assert that through the sanctions policy, Harvard has interfered with students' right to be free of sex discrimination, as guaranteed by Title IX and the U.S. Constitution. In the suit filed in Massachusetts court, three women's organizations—an international sorority, one of its chapters, and a sorority housing corporation—assert that Harvard has interfered with students' rights to free association and equal treatment based on sex, both of which are protected by the Massachusetts Constitution. Alleging violations of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, the suit seeks to bring a stop to Harvard's sanctions by calling for an injunction prohibiting the University from continuing to unlawfully punish students. "As a result of this policy, almost all of the once vibrant sororities and women's final clubs open to Harvard women have either closed or had to renounce their proud status as women's social organizations," said Renee 1. 2. (Continued on page 10)

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