Oregon daily emerald., January 21, 1970, Page 6 and 7, Image 6

A living alternative: the Greek system
I
’
ft
IKE closes:
Can a house adjust
as society changes?
By WANDALYN RICE
Of the Emerald
Nationally Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) claims the largest
membership of any Greek letter fraternity.
But last term, at the end of finals week, the Beta
Kappa chapter of TKE closed at the University.
The chapter had been formed in the late 1940’s and
had experienced both moments of great strength (a
pledge class in the late 1950’s had 40 members) and of
great weakness—including financial trouble and intra
house disputes.
“What happened to TKE is not unique. It’s happening
all over,’’ Mike Merrell, the last president of the house,
said.
The chapter, Merrell added, succumbed to a combina
tion of the attraction of apartment living and a new
desire for personal freedom on the part of University
students.
“There is a natural contempt for the Establishment
today,” he said, “and a growing tendency to tell people
to go to hell if they interfere with you.
“Everyone is concerned with personal freedom and
doesn’t want restrictions, but people are confusing free
dom with the abuse of freedom.”
In the TKE house, he said, the abuse of freedom re
sulted in excessive noise by some when others were
studying and a disregard for the authority of the house
officers.
Mike Hartwig, a senior who pledged TKE as a freshman,
agrees partly with this analysis. “Doing your thing is
often interpreted as doing something against a group
instead of with a group,” he said.
Before it closed, TKE made many innovations in old
fraternity traditions, such as the pledge’s hell week. The
more rigid rules governing pledges and junior members
were relaxed.
Although both of them agreed with the changes, they
today point to many problems they created.
“If the work is going to get done, either everyone is
going to have to pitch in, or someone is going to have to
tell someone else what to do,” Merrell said.
“It is ideal if everyone in the house is equal, but if
you have a lot of equal guys sitting around and the
house dog makes a mess on the floor, what happens if
no one wants to clean it up.”
“Permissiveness doesn’t seem to work when people
abuse it, and I think they inevitably will, but the non
permissive attitude doesn’t work either, because no one
will take it—pledges de-pledge and members quit. I don’t
see what balance you can strike.”
Hartwig agreed that the old-fashioned pledge discipline
and hell-week are no longer viable. “My hell-week (in
1967) was a turning point in our house because there
was a lot of hell raised by the pledges about it.”
As discipline broke down in the house, Merrell said,
many of the standards of quiet hours disintegrated. “It
reached the point where guys couldn’t sleep in the house,
they couldn’t study in the house, and so they started to
ask why were they living in the house.”
As a result, the house split 50-50 and “everyone was
at each other’s throats.
“Many a night, I had to get up and tell people to
shut up when they were shouting in the halls.”
One result of the division in the house, was an acute
shortage of money.
“When you get down to where it looks like you are
going to have ten guys living in a house, you’ve got a
problem,” Merrell said.
On the other hand, the problem does not only stem
from money because “if it was such a sharp place to live,
money would not be a problem.”
But money was a problem for TKE. Saddled with debts
of nearly $80,000, many of them stemming from a fire
which destroyed the building TKE owned in 1959, the
house had to be full in order to break even.
One solution to the problem was to take in boarders—
men who did not pledge, but lived in the house and paid
room and board. This, according to Hartwig, was a mis
take. The boarders had little committment to the house,
and caused trouble, he said.
“But, if you look at the real cause, it was lack of
pledges. If we had had pledges we wouldn’t have needed
boarders.”
The problem extended to members. When some men
started talking about moving out last term, Merrell said,
he was going to talk them out of it. “Then I asked my
self, why do I want these particular guys to stay, and
the only answer I could come up with was $105 a month.”
At that point, Merrell said, he decided it wasn’t worth
it.
With more and more members announcing their de
parture, a small group of men decided to try to save
the house. The plan was to sell the large house at 19th
and University and, after paying the debts, buy a small
house which could have about ten live-in members and
many members living out. The new house could serve as
a center for parties.
“When I look back on it,” Hartwig said, “it was a bad
idea, because we didn’t know a lot of things we know
now, but for a while it looked like we had a pretty good
core of guys to live in.
“But when we looked at it, most of the guys are juniors
and seniors.”
Merrell agreed that the idea sounded good, but “by
the time anyone got around to setting it up, everyone
was just sick of it and wanted out.”
Both Merrell and Hartwig now look at the more gen
eral plight of the Greek system in light of the experience
of TKE. Until a “live-out” house can be formed, the
houses will face the problem of attracting and holding
pledges.
The major problem, according to Hartwig, is rushing
practice. The Inter-fraternity Council took over manage
ment of rush many years ago when almost everyone on
campus rushed, but now the system works against the
houses, he said.
“Suppose you want to sell color television sets,” he
explained, “and so you tell everyone who wants a set
to sign up and pay $8. Then you tell each person they
have to go to six companies that sell sets and list their
preferences. Then, the company will decide if it wants
to sell you a set or not—that’s what we do in rush.”
The result, Hartwig said, is that members too seldom
try to work for pledges. “There is an idea if we go to
the dorms to rush people might think we’re hard up. We
are supposed to wait for them to come to us, “but they
don’t.”
As far as Hartwig can see, solving the pledge problem
will solve most of the other problems of fraternities.
“There are things wrong with fraternities, but they can
be changed.
“If you start with the premise that fraternal living is
good, then you can change them.”
One of the best changes, he said, was for the houses
to get out from under the current rule of IFC. “IFC
perpetuates many of the stereotypes that now exist.”
However, Merrell sees more problems than just the
one of rushing. Group living, he said, is becoming less
important to people.
“If the Greek system could do something to get its
feet on the ground, it could be better, but I can’t think
of anything that will work.
“The old thing wasn’t working when I joined the TKE
house, but the permissiveness didn’t work either.”
Hartwig agrees that attitudes are changing, “Today
it is not acceptable to identify with tradition.”
However, he added, “I don’t believe the fraternity
system is going to die, but I don’t think of fraternities
as the Joe College petty bourgeousie image. I really be
lieve in TKE being a fraternity for life.”
As a result, Hartwig is now helping to form an alumni
chapter in Eugene. “Maybe in a few years when this all
blows over, we’ll have a strong chapter again.”
‘Greeks must change or die’
By JOHN LANIER
Of the Emerald
A change in Attica?
“For years and years Greeks were of course a
symbol of the status quo and ... a symbol of a
bastion of conservatism. I think it’s pretty well
established that these are things of the past.
“I think that the survival of the Greek system
on an activist campus of the 70’s will be made a
more definite fact as the Greeks rise from their
traditional apathy and become more and more in
volved in the moral and ethical issues of the day.”
That’s the opinion of Steve Neal, president of
the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC), which serves
as central coordinating body for the University’s
fraternity system.
Neal, who is critical of the conservatism and
apathy of the fraternity past, pointed to involve
ment of fraternity men in the October anti-war
Moratorium, the grape boycott movement, a chang
ing racial attitude, and the 1968 political cam
paigns as evidence of a changing reality in Uni
versity fraternities.
Racial discrimination in fraternities, Neal said,
has “for many, many years been a black-eye in my
opinion . . . and after years of discriminatory
practice we owe a debt to minority groups.”
Neal added that fraternities are and should be
moving toward “a more heterogenous system,”
and that bridging the gap between the races in
this country “is a significant service that the Greek
system might do.”
Greek systems on most of the nation’s campuses,
according to Neal, “haven’t made adequate steps
to become involved in the day’s leading issues . . .
if they fail to conform to these changes,” he add
ed, “then they deserve to die.”
This failure to change is particularly strong in
the South, Neal said, and he compared a fraternity
that won’t change to a “dinosaur” heading for
“extinction.”
Neal said that television, old movies and novels
maintain the dying Greek image of “hazing, dis
crimination, and the Puritan ethic,” making this
image “an even more difficult thing to erase after
the many years that these things did exist.”
“There is a different type of student in the
fraternity than there was five years ago,” Neal
commented. “The beer-drinking anti-intellectual
image I think isn’t altogether fair.”
Neal is optimistic about the fraternity system
despite the closing of three fraternities within the
past two years. He blamed the closings on a
variety of “internal problems,” pointing out that
during the same period a new fraternity, Sigma
Alpha Mu, was organized, and added:
“It is our hope that within the near future
there will be enough interest generated so that at
least one of these houses will be back on campus.”
Pointing out that the cost of living in a dorm
is already nearly as high as a fraternity, Neal
said the IFC feels that freshmen should be allowed
to live in fraternities if they so desire. “It is our
position that the University should not have the
right to tell a student where he is to live.”
Students, Neal feels, should visit a fraternity
before forming an opinion about it. “I think that
the big things about a fraternity are the life-long
friendships that result from living and working
together on a day-to-day basis, and the autonomy,
self-government and individualism you have in
a fraternity.”
Members rap about house living
Sororities on campus have recently been revising
rules and social observances.
Dress codes and closing hours have been liberaliz
ed, while the trend shows fewer seniors living in.
Several girls living in the houses explained that
recent changes have taken place. They asked that
only their house and first name be identified:
Susan, Kappa Kappa Gamma: “The Greek system
constitutes a silent minority on campus. We are
stereotyped, but actually can’t help but be diversi
fied. Wherever one lives, he becomes involved in
the setting around him—interested in the people.
But unlike the dorms, everyone who lives here
has the desire to do so—we work together as a co
hesive group.”
Gail, Alpha Chi Omega: “The main trouble soror
ities have is bucking the past. Students come up
here with their parents' ideas on the Greek system,
and have nothing to do with it.”
Susan: "The frosh pledges may give the wrong
impression of sororities at times. While living in
the dorms, they seem wrapped up with another
association—the house. The antagonism may be les
sened if all pledges live together in the dorms, or
if they are allowed to live at their houses.”
One of the changes that have recently taken
place concern dress codes and liberalized closing
hours.
Sandi, Zeta Tau Alpha: “Our dress code has re
cently been changed. We wear nice slacks or cam
pus dress to classes. Campus dress to dinner, but
no curlers are allowed on the first floor.”
Gail: "Levis are acceptable dress to class at our
house.”
Susan: "Many students believe the alums dictate
rules to us, but this is untrue. Girls have card
keys and come and go any time. Generally, they
sign out telling where they are going in case of any
emergency.”
Anonymous, Gamma Phi Beta: “Our house has
too much alumnae intervention, and this slows
down much progress toward liberalizing archaic
convention. However, two years ago we had closing
hours, and now we come in anytime we want.”
Social life in sororities has also seen some
changes:
Susan: “None of our social events are manda
tory, and we tend to date fewer frat men than for
merly. The traditional events are getting less at
tention. For instance, our Friday at Four’s are get
ting little participation.”
Sandi: About one-third of the house is engaged
and most of us don’t date Greeks We have a
house dance every term and the White Violet Ball
is coming up. Functions are mandatory, but we
never have any problems getting a date for some
one.”
Mary, Alpha Chi Omega: “We usually have two
house dances, a formal and informal. Other ac
tivities include wake up breakfasts with frats, a
recent Christmas party for children and carving
pumpkins for Good Samaritan Nursing Home.”
Anonymous: “About the only thing our sorority
is good for is getting to know people—I have to
admit I have made a lot of close friends. But the
social life—drinking— is what is stressed.”
Sandi: “When I feel happy, or in a serious mood,
there is always someone to go to. Also, privacy
isn’t a problem. I just tell them to leave my room,
I’ve got studying to do.”
Sandi: “The cost of living in a sorority is
generally misunderstood. With the rising cost of
dorms, room and board in a house is cheaper, but
the cost averages out with dues. Most of our seni
ors stay until they graduate or get married.”
Mary: “I’d like to get rid of the so-called stereo
type sorority girl. Although life does center around
the house, each person lives her separate life. We
have everyone from the jogger to the singer—the
sitter to the exerciser.”
‘Sororities will go
in five years’
“I think sororities will be definitely gone in the
next five years, although maybe some will hang
around for the pendulum to swing back.”
So says Laurel Walker, junior in English and
member of Gamma Phi Beta.
Laurel is not the typical sorority girl. After
"compound” problems, including intra-house diffi
culties. she decided not to move in the house fall
term. Now she is living in again.
The former house manager moved into an apart
ment with three other girls. There were problems
there too—a noisy apartment complex and an in
compatable roommate. "After apartment living I
now think Greek living is much better. In an
apartment it's too easy to be a loner.
“When my sister graduated seven years ago
from the University no one lived off campus,”
Laurel said. “Now apartment living has the same
reputation with freshmen as sorority living did
then ”
Laurel also added she thinks Gamma Phi Beta
is one of the more liberal houses on campus.
Theta Chi: success story
By CLAY EALS
Of the Eme/ald
Theta Chi is encountering many of the prob
lems that plague all fraternities and sororities
on campus today, but it seems to be succeed
ing.
This is the opinion of Fred Buller, recently
elected president of Theta Chi.
“The main key,” he said, is diversification.
“The fraternity system is going downhill,”
Buller said. “We are definitely competing wth
the apartments.”
The apartments attract men that would oth
erwise join a house because of the absence
of the “so-called structured life,” according to
Buller said. “We are definitely competing with
somewhere where it is cheaper and where they
could keep their own visiting and drinking
hours.
Apparently, the idea of brotherhood is dwin
dling, Buller says, and “the guys just don’t go
for it any more ... it seems to be more-so
in the last three to four years than in the
last 25.”
However, Buller says, “I think brotherhood
has a lot to offer.”
In Theta Chi the brotherhood theme remains
fairly strong, he feels. It is a “life with a diver
sified kind of people.”
Buller admits that much of the success of
his fraternity lies in its monetary strength,
but the factors of “strong leadership, the di
versity of membership and the constant rush
ing” are important also.
Theta Chi has 65 members, 45 of whom live
in the house. According to Buller, “people
in every field” belong to Theta Chi and the
membership includes students who are in
volved in athletics, student government, and
various other aspects of school life.
Theta Chi’s pledge program is a year - long
procedure, Buller said. New members are
pledged mostly on the basis of contracts
with present members of the house.
According to Paul Moen, one of Theta Chi’s
16 freshmen pledges, the house’s pledge pro
gram is excellent. Moen said, “They don’t has
sle you; they don’t do anything to freshmen;
they are really easy-going about the whole
thing.”
Buller said many of Theta Chi’s pledges also
come from high school visitations.
According to Buller, Theta Chi is respect
ed in the community for the public service
activities it performs. It hosted the “College
Life” program and is presently initiating this
year’s March of Dimes fund drive in the area.
At Christmas they helped disadvantaged
children in the Eugene area to a good time
by buying gifts for them and taking the chil
dren to Duck basketball games.
Buller also said the fraternity is held to
gether by the enjoyable activities it has for its
members. Theta Chi holds house dances, ex
change dinners with sororities and “Friday at
Fours.”
Once in a while there will be special func
tions held, such as “The Red Ox” and cham
pagne functions, characteristic only of Theta
Chi.
What about Theta Chi’s future?
No large changes are planned for Theta
Chi, Buller said. However, Buller thinks the
house will continue to maintain its high mem
bership.
If the housing office allows freshmen to
live outside of dorms in the near future, Bul
ler states the houses would initiate a “fresh
man line-in” program whereby a limited num
ber of freshman men could live in the house
for the first year.
Buller, in conclusion, predicts the future
role of the fraternity in University life by say
ing, “The frats are changing—everything’s
more relaxed. We have to change with the
pace of the people.”
Ottoman says attitudes changed
By JOANNE HASEGAWA
Of the Emerald
In the past three years three sorority houses
have “folded.”
The number of girls going through formal rush
each fall has declined from about 600 in 1966 to
300 last term. Of the 300 who rushed, 180 have
pledged one of 13 sororities. Why the rapid de
cline?
Basically, the sororities sense a change in atti
tudes, especially on this campus. Kristi Ottoman,
president of the Panhellenic Council, an organiza
tion of representatives from all houses, said, “On
this campus I think it used to be that sororities
were prestigious. When you came to college you
had to belong or you just weren’t with it. You
had to dress well.
“People aren’t interested in that anymore and
for them that’s good and I’m glad. The girls in the
sororities realize this. But people have the wrong
idea of the sorority girl.”
“We have the same goals as any other college
student. We just happen to live together in the
same house,” she said.
To explore the declining trend of sororities,
representatives from Panhellenic councils, college
alumni, and sorority members from several west
ern states will meet at the University in February.
The stereotype of the socially oriented sorority
girl, not really interested in the community or
politics, may have applied 10 or 20 years ago, ac
cording to Miss Ottoman, “but not anymore.”
She said in the past the house sponsored activi
ties where attendance was mandatory, but not to
day. Now more girls are doing things on their
own.
“I know some girls who tutor and several are
involved in community service projects. Activities
are more on an individual or small-group basis,”
she added.
Miss Ottoman also suggested that perhaps frater
nity and sorority life may be “too structured” for
some people.
“They like to be independent and that’s good.
I felt that way when I was a freshman,” she said.
In spring of her freshman year, Miss Ottoman
decided that the sorority life was the best situa
tion for her as opposed to apartment or dorm
living. It provided the amount of contact she liked
with other girls, not too close as in an apartment
and yet had unity with many girls, unlike in a
dorm.
“The thing about the dorm is that you make
close friends but it’s kind of transient. You don’t
feel you belong,” she said.
She added that living in a sorority house af
forded opportunities to get to know people and
meet their friends. In studying, freshmen especial
ly were helped by the upperclassmen. They were
also informed of and urged to take interests in
campus activities. Personal problems can also be
taken to the housemother. Freshmen are assured
that everyone will be there for the next three
years, Miss Ottoman said, unlike in the dorm
She estimated that living in a house costs from
$100 to $150 more than living in the dorm. Ex
penses basically cover room and board, rush fee,
and social fees. Freshmen pledges pay about $10
a month for meals at the house (freshmen are
required to live in dorms). For some houses a
building fund fee is included to help pay off the
mortgage on the house.
For those girls who find that sorority life is not
to their liking, they simply de-pledge. No formal
procedure is involved. Miss Ottoman said a girl
usually visits the house manager and returns her
pin. She said “very few” girls de-pledge and “most
times there are no bad feelings.
“Some people just can’t live like that. It’s just
normal.”