Terry Hall

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By Elizabeth DeLion

D

r. Teri Hall leaned back in her chair after a long week of meeting with student leaders from the greek system, but the weekend did not offer her time off. Hall spent her weekend patrolling fraternities with members of Student Activities staff, graduate students and Dean McKaig or Dean Gibson, looking for signs of a party. These patrols occured during major party weeks such as Little 500, but also when rumors of parties filtered into her office. Her goal was to monitor the safety of the functions.

Hall spent her first year as Student Activities Assistant Director challenging the leaders of the campus to improve their social functions. She also brainstormed and collaborated with students from the four greek governing councils and other representatives on how to make the risk management policies more effective.

One of Hall's main goals was making fraternity social functions safer. She worked with the chapter presidents of the 57 chapters in the greek system hoping to make a social pact ensuring safety. With a history of underage drinking and accidents, it was necessary to construct an agreement among chapters pledging their commitment to regulate parties. Traditionally, a chapter president took the blame if something went wrong at a party. Hall challenged students to take responsibility for their own actions. "Our goal is to make functions safe. This includes guest lists and having executive members work the door at social functions," said Hall. "We want to get to a place where chapter presidents are not out on a limb by themselves."

Hall said irresponsible use of alcohol resulted in chapter probation and other problems for greeks. She pointed out, however, that alcohol is actually permitted on campus if the Dean of Students approved it. She maintained the ideal would be to have a third party vendor come into fraternity and sorority parties and serve at social functions.

Pi Kappa Phi president Joe Malangoni believed the foundations of the social pact were already in place, but the written guidelines would help regulate the rules. He said working with Hall and the other chapter presidents enabled the greek system to come up with ways to improve social functions, but he disagreed with the idea of a potential third party vendor. "It would be difficult to implement and I don't think it would make parties any better," said Malangoni.

Hall began her work with the greek system during her undergraduate years at Southern Illinois University where she belonged to Delta Zeta sorority. During her sophomore year, she served as the Panhellenic president and discovered her future would be on a college campus. She realized she never wanted to be far away from students. Hall completed her doctorate at IU and worked as a judicial board advisor in 1993-1995. Hall's position was created this year to better facilitate the needs of students.

Working with student leaders was Hall's favorite part of being involved with student activities. She enjoyed helping leadership grow, continued to question the status quo and focused on how to better serve the governing greek councils. "It takes a lot of leadership in the greek system to say no," she said. "I work with a group of leaders who have the responsibility to be unpopular. They know what they are supposed to be doing and do it."

Junior Karen Childress, Panhellnic president, worked closely with Hall and enjoyed her input. Childress said many of the policies would take time to implement, but with these initial baby steps and continued open arms, she believed the ideas would be accepted. "Dr. Hall is an exciting and overzealous person to work with. She is enthusiastic and willing to work with others," she said. "She is a great resource for the greek system, but is well rounded and works with other organizations as well."

Dr. Teri Hall spends time each week meeting with leaders from the greek system where they collaborate on policies which ensure saftey at social functions. Hall's favorite part of working in the Student Activites Office was the talented student leaders she worked with. Photo by Dmitry Kiyatkin.

I work with a group of leaders who have the responsibility to be unpopular. They know what they are supposed to be doing and do it.