As of the start of this year, Emory's Office of Student Conduct will now include a Greek Conduct Review Board (GCRB) comprised of 16 student representatives from Emory's four Greek life councils, the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Intersorority Council (ISC), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). This is the first time in six years that the Office of Student Conduct has included such a board.
Half of the GCRB will focus on outreach, seeking to educate the Greek community about hazing prevention, sexual assault prevention and risk management, while the other half handles conduct hearings. Greek organizations that are deemed to have breached Emory's code of conduct will be issued a warning, assigned an organizational improvement plan or, in the case of more severe infractions, placed on social probation. More severe cases, such as those involving incidences of sexual assault, will be passed to the Conduct Council.
The University has taken steps to ensure that codes of conduct are enforced with more regularity.
Greek organizations with houses on Eagle Row are subject to scheduled walkthroughs during the weekend and school week. Guidelines governing how fraternities can register and conduct parties have also been updated. Discussed additions include the enforcement of a guest list for parties, to be verified by the swipe of an EmoryCard, and the controlled dispensation of alcohol. For example, administrators hosted a mock party at the Kappa Sigma house at the beginning of the year to demonstrate the proper execution of such guidelines.
Although more strict enforcement of University policy and the creation of a dedicated Greek conduct board may present a new set of challenges for those Greek organizations that wish to continue operating as they have in the past, we at the Wheel believe that these steps represent a concerted effort by the University to foster a healthy, productive and reputable Greek system at Emory.
There are plenty of incentives for the University to do so. As in the case of Phi Delta Theta's recent removal from campus, Emory suffers a great deal of negative press when it must expel a Greek organization. We believe that Emory's Greek life will benefit from the opportunity to govern itself and, in doing so, promote good practices among their peers. This, of course, is beneficial to both Emory's Greek system and the University as a whole.
Furthermore, we hope that the University's increased effort to hold Greek organizations accountable will prove a productive first step in combating dangerous drinking throughout the Emory community. Although Greek organizations are not the only student groups on campus that engage in high-risk drinking, they are indeed the most public, and we hope that they can set a good example for the rest of the Emory community.
However, we are also aware that dangerous initiative practices and heavy drinking do not only take place in the Greek community. We encourage the University to also take an active role in combating these issues in other social and academic communities on campus.
The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel's editorial board.
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