While there have always been
challenges in the fraternity/sorority community, the recent campus tragedies
and events weigh on the hearts and minds of all who work to advocate and
preserve the sorority experience. These incidents reinforce that we have an
obligation and a duty to re-double our efforts on campus safety. Just as it’s
on us all to fight sexual assault, it’s also on us all to fight against hazing,
alcohol abuse and dangerous social cultures on college campuses. Simply put, sorority
women must be more engaged as advocates in this fight.
Abusive alcohol consumption and its
secondhand effects – sexual assault, vandalism, violence and negative community
relations – are not new problems among college students. And, there have been –
and still are – many efforts to combat these issues over the years. In 1983,
what is now the Coalition of Higher Education Associations for Substance Abuse
Prevention (CoHEASAP) began their work promoting education, prevention, research
and other initiatives to help eliminate substance abuse and its related
problems on college campuses.
In 2004, the Franklin Square Group developed
recommendations designed to eliminate negative collegiate fraternity and
sorority behaviors involving high-risk alcohol use. The group consisted of
college and university presidents and inter/national Greek-letter organization
executive directors.
Also in the early 2000s, the 26
member organizations that comprise the National Panhellenic Conference adopted
standards that tightened membership requirements and raised the bar for student
membership in our organizations.
Yet, old problems persist, new
issues arise and member organizations evolve. These different opportunities and
challenges profoundly impact the operations and strategy of NPC. It is ongoing
work we take seriously.
Today, our message to host
institutions, and particularly to our student life colleagues, is that we want
to partner with you. Student safety is too important for us to do anything
other than work together.
We’ve always known that rules alone are not
sufficient, so we must create cultures where students advocate for one another.
We believe this can happen, and we believe it can happen in ways that also
respect the rights of students.
To that end, NPC is an organization that can bring together leaders from across the industry to work toward creating the kind of campus culture we aspire to build everywhere. In January, the NPC Executive Committee will convene a gathering of campus administrators and subject matter experts to work toward creating opportunities to address critical issues within our Panhellenic communities. This will be just the first step in NPC’s “Call for Critical Change,” and it will be our focus in the coming months.
To that end, NPC is an organization that can bring together leaders from across the industry to work toward creating the kind of campus culture we aspire to build everywhere. In January, the NPC Executive Committee will convene a gathering of campus administrators and subject matter experts to work toward creating opportunities to address critical issues within our Panhellenic communities. This will be just the first step in NPC’s “Call for Critical Change,” and it will be our focus in the coming months.
We have an opportunity to work
together to find sustainable ways to address some of the pressing issues within
our fraternity and sorority communities. As one colleague stated during the
recent AFA annual meeting, “We have to change the culture faster than it was
created.”
Interfraternally,
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Carole J. Jones
Chairman 2017-19 |