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Sorority sisters proudly display the T-shirts they made during Derby Days in October.
Union’s not alone in this. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in August that schools around the country are revising administrative approaches to their Greek systems. The University of Colorado at Boulder has deferred recruitment from fall to spring; Princeton University has barred fraternities and sororities from recruiting freshmen; many others have required live-in advisors and designed internal accreditation programs. “While Greek life at Union is different than it was when I was there, the fact that it’s thriving is what is important,” said Peter Shore ’77, an Alpha Delta Phi brother who serves as treasurer of the chapter’s alumni association. “The fact that Greek organizations
continue to prosper at Union demonstrates that they can adapt, without sacrificing traditions or values.” “In 2003, for example, the college decided that students would no longer be able to join Greek organizations their freshman year. Historically, few students joined after their freshman year; clearly, relying only on social events to recruit new members would no longer be effective,” he continued. “In the end, it was the emphasis on other aspects and benefits of Greek life which made the difference. This past spring, about 45 percent of eligible students were members of Greek organizations as opposed to an average of one-third in the 1990s.”
Greek evolution Much of the recent adaptation Greeks have undergone started around 1998, when considerations began to be made for repurposing several campus buildings.
Two Greek students work on making T-shirts.
“Like many alumni, I was angry and hurt when the College decided to terminate the land lease for our Alpha Delta Phi chapter house so that it could be converted into the Admissions Office,” said Shore, who has remained deeply involved with his chapter since graduating, and was the recipient of Union’s Alumni Recognition Award for his engagement in May 2011. “The anger was not just because the announcement was made without first notifying alumni or undergraduate leaders, but because it ignored all the positive contributions Greek alumni and students have made at Union for almost 200 years.” Through his regular interaction with the current administration and ADPhi brothers, however, he’s moved beyond his disappointment. “While policies implemented over the last decade have affected the housing of Greek undergraduates and reduced the length of their
UNION’S FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL MEMBERS - Sigma Phi Society - Alpha Epsilon Pi - Psi Upsilon - Delta Kappa Epsilon - Alpha Delta Phi - Sigma Chi - Chi Psi - Theta Delta Chi - Phi Delta Theta - Zeta Beta Tau - Kappa Alpha Society - Phi Gamma Delta MULTICULTURAL GREEK COUNCIL MEMBERS - Phi Iota Alpha - Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi - Omega Phi Beta - Alpha Delta Lambda COLLEGE PANHELLENIC COUNCIL MEMBERS - Delta Delta Delta - Sigma Delta Tau - Gamma Phi Beta
Winter 2012 UNION COLLEGE
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