Greek leaders to attend retreat

By Gwen Daniels

Published Jan. 25, 2008

Greek leaders from across campus will come together this weekend to prepare for the upcoming semester.

Executive board members from all four Greek councils, fraternity and sorority chapter presidents and representatives from the MU Office of Greek Life will attend a retreat at Windermere Conference Center in Roach sponsored by the Office of Greek Life.

Greek councils at MU include the Interfraternity Council, the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Panhellenic Association.

The executive board members hope to familiarize themselves with the other organizations.

"It's a matter of understanding how different councils go about in a different manner achieving the same goal," NPHC President Christopher Addae said.

PHA President Diamond Scott said she looks forward to creating ties between the four councils, which have operated very independently in years past.

"We're run very differently," she said. "It's interesting to me to see how we all do things differently but we're all very successful."

IFC President Bryan VanGronigen said he also hopes the councils will collaborate more after the retreat.

"The four councils never really used to meet as a cohesive group," he explained. "In the past, there was a general idea that the four councils didn't work together."

VanGronigen said the Office of Greek Life has committed to helping all four councils communicate. Executive board members from each council are also meeting on their own, he added.

Members of IFC and MGC said they hope to address the joint resolution against racially insensitive parties, which MGC and NPHC passed last semester.

VanGronigen will clarify IFC's position on the resolution, he said.

"It's not that IFC doesn't support it, but our existing policy, in my opinion, is comprehensive enough so that if there are parties that don't fit with our policy, we don't support the party," he said. "I'm certainly open to discuss the matter."

MGC President Jamie Kanki said despite concern from several students, the resolution did not stem from any events at MU.

Instead, the resolution was a response to racially insensitive parties at nearby schools like Northwest Missouri State University, Kanki said.

"Some people raised their eyebrows and were like, 'Are we doing that?'" she said. "The answer was, no, no, no one was really doing that, especially in the Greek community at MU. We're just trying to prevent it."

The organizations will also discuss overprogramming.

With events such as socials and philanthropies on top of schoolwork and other extracurricular activities, it's easy to get overwhelmed, Scott said.

Scott said she will talk to PHA chapter presidents to figure out what their needs are as PHA makes plans for the semester.

Addae will also address overprogramming by talking to NPHC chapter presidents, he said.

"I want to get back to the presidents and the executive board and see where individual chapters stand," Addae said. "In doing so, I get a better idea of what I can do for them as president and what the council can do for them."

VanGronigen said the retreat will provide an opportunity for each council to present plans to the chapter presidents.

IFC will introduce their new Web site and explain upcoming revisions to the bylaws, he added.