Discrimination conii,iueci from page ia
Lynn Pinkney
have been dropped because the
gay member graduated and
moved away.
“Everyone’s extremely
touchy about this topic for ob
vious reasons," Contreras says.
"It’s a very volatile issue and
there's a great deal of looking
over shoulders.”
Still, the incident has forced
new questions to surface. Peo
ple within the Creek system
and. even more importantly.
■ within the University ad
ministration are now re
evaluating their policies.
"This has been misidentified
as a Creek issue," he says. "The
issue should be. 'How broad is
the University's policy —
what's covered and what’s
not?’ ” he says.
The policy, he says, does not
cover certain groups that exist
independently of the Universi
ty. But those groups are not
well-defined.
"There are several aspects of
campus life that are in a gray
area — ROTC, the Greeks,
dorms, athletics — and it seems
like you ought to know if you're
protected in a given situation or
not.” Contreras says.
According to the Student
Conduct Code, the University
"affirms the right of all in
dividuals to equal opportunity
in education and employment.”
But Contreras points out that
housing is not mentioned with
the exception of residence halls.
He says thq Creek system
‘/ feel they (Greek houses) are a wonderful
educational opportunity, and I think it’s
really sad that gay and lesbian people have
to choose between that experience and be
ing themselves. *
Lynn Pinkney
should have to comply with the
conduct code, however,
because Panhellenic and the
1FC, the executive bodies of the
Greek system, receive money
from the Incidental Fees Com
mittee, and its advisers are paid
partly with University funds.
Even though the Greek
system meets these qualifica
tions, it doesn’t necessarily fall
under the University's jurisdic
tion. says Gerry Moseley,
associate provost for student
affairs.
“There are linkages, but they
are vague where social activities
are concerned," Moseley adds.
He says that administrators are
not landlords to fraternities and
sororities but that they do work
with national chapter leaders.
The University is looking for
diversity in all of its student
housing options because it pro
motes good group living,
Moseley says.
He claims the school’s
philosophy is that organizations
whose members are identical
would not be reasonable. “It is
just as we'd feel about an all
blonde fraternity or an ail blue
eyed fraternity — it shouldn’t
lie monolithic," Moseley says.
He says he does sympathize
with the difficulty of placing
homosexuals in a group living
environment, however.
“Sometimes people feel that
there is a strain on anyone who
feels differently,” Moseley
says. “And maybe there is
discrimination in the sense that
you give up some rights when
you join a living organization.”
He says the viability of the
organization is "at risk” when
it accepts gay members. “The
organization has to preserve
itself,” Moseley says.
Regarding the complaint.
Moseley feels the best thing is to
let the fraternity deal with it.
“Since we haven’t heard
anything more about it. it could
be that the fraternity system has
solved the problem itself,” he
says.
“And if it's a victimless
crime, I’m not sure I’d want to
write a law prohibiting it.” In
stead. the incident should be
dealt with on a more educa
tional level, he adds.
On the other hand, some feel
discrimination against gays is
more than an educational issue.
“It seems clear to me that a
group like the I PC (Interfraterni
ty Council)...cannot
discriminate because of the
University’s policy,” says Lynn
Pinkney, co-director of the cam
pus Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
“University requirements
should be extended to apply to
the Greek system. GALA is re
quired to comply with non
discrimination policies, and the
Greek system is connected also
in the sense that they are
recognized student groups. I
don't see why they shouldn’t
comply as well," she says.
Mitch Vance, Interfraternity
Council president, disagrees.
He says the Greek system works
best when it’s left to work out
its own problems.
“We are encouraged by the
University to be self-governing,
and it’s an effective method,”
Vance says.
Only rarely would the
University have to step in; most
of the time problems that in
volve two or more students go
‘Like any living organization, the Greek
system is becoming more aware of
homosexuality because situations like that
can and probably do arise. *
— Mitch Vance
io me ir\. irmunai sysiem,
which can impose fines, require
community service or eliminate
a house from rush, he says.
Regarding last spring’s alleg
ed discrimination incident,
Vance says other fraternity
presidents are aware of the
situation and are trying to learn
from it.
“The University is happy to
see us approach this as an
educational issue, and I think
it’s definitely time for the Greek
system to address this
issue. . .whether the incident
actually happened or not,”
Vance says.
“Like any living organiza
tion, the Greek system is becom
ing more aware of homosexuali
ty because situations like that
(of last spring) can and probably
do arise,” Vance says.
“1 think other living
organizations need to discuss it,
also. There’s starting to be some
concern in this area.” he adds.
Although he feels gay
discrimination should be dealt
with, Vance sees little he can do
to legislate against it.
“It’s not my office’s respon
sibility or right to suggest a pro
cedure to change the situation,”
Vance says. “At this point,
there are no statutes or constitu
tional points that address this
issue, and there’s nothing I
know of in a fraternity’s con
stitution to deal with this.”
And there is no blanket policy
that could be instigated, Vance
says, because there are such
strong opinions on the issue.
“It's impossible to expect
everyone to adopt a policy
towards homosexuality,”
Vance says.
At the same time, a house
would need to “look at itself
very closely” if it disaffiliated a
member because of sexual
preference, he says. “Disaffilia
tion is a necessary tool, but it s
very uncommon, and it’s usual
ly very justified, in my
experience.”
Instead of disaffiliating a
member for being gay, a frater
nity could ask the member to
live outside the house but con
tinue to be active in the chapter,
Vance suggests.
“It (having gay members) is
something that threatens the
unity and brotherhood of a
fraternity,” he says. “There’s a
possibility that a homosexual
could do some damage to the
closeness in a house.”
GALA’s Pinkney, on the other
hand, thinks fraternities and
sororities are losing out by not
including gay people.
”1 feel they (Greek houses) are
a wonderful educational oppor
tunity, and I think it’s really sad
that gay and lesbian people
have to choose between that ex
perience and being
themselves,” Pinkney says.
So the question remains: Is
the Greek system too
independent?
All fraternities are given a
degree of autonomy. Delta
Sigma Phi’s James says, as long
as they do not violate their own
constitution or federal law.
“But right now there is no
federal law that prohibits
discrimination against gays and
nothing that speaks to the fact of
sexual preference,” he says.
Until there is, this issue may
not be solved.
Milch Vance
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