In their own words: Colgate University faculty dis Greek life
Colgate University faculty - arrogance & hostility
Highlights from the Colgate University Task Force on Campus Culture
Colgate Tries Variety of Ploys to Thwart 'Helicopter Parents'
Resolutions by the
Colgate University Board of Trustees on Housing and Students' Rights of
Association
Colgate University Campus
Crime Statistics
Gatekeepers of the Nanny State
For years, there has been a concerted effort by Colgate University faculty and administrators to encourage quotas (euphemistically called targets), eliminate the Greek societies, and reduce the “hyper-masculinity” of Colgate’s athletics.
Salient examples:
“Any Greek-letter organization that opts not to sell its house to the university will not become a member of the Broad Street community and will consequently forfeit university recognition as of July 1, 2005. Beginning in the fall 2005 semester such organizations will not be allowed to house or enroll Colgate students as members, and will cease all operations.”
-Adam Weinberg, Dean of the
College,
Memo to Colgate Students, Sept. 7, 2004
“Organizations that choose to retain ownership will no longer be residential and accordingly will not be recognized by Colgate after June 2005. In this regard, we are aware that there are ideas of houses functioning as eating clubs or even continuing as underground, unrecognized fraternities. Everyone should understand that the University will not permit this and will adopt a policy that any student who participates in an unrecognized fraternity or sorority will be subject to disciplinary sanctions including, possibly, suspension or expulsion.”
-Dave Hale, Financial
Vice President and Treasurer,
Colgate University, June 22, 2004
“Some people have asked if we are doing too much social engineering. We are actually doing far less than most places.”
-Dean Adam Weinberg, The Colgate Scene, September 2003
“The Task Force on Campus Culture recommends: Colgate acquire all Greek-letter residential units; that the university not permit the establishment of any new Greek-letter organizations; that pledging, (which goes by the politically-correct term “new member education”) be banned; that members in Greek-letter organizations and residence in houses be a matter of election by students through the campus residential life system, not selection by existing members; that membership in Greek-letter organizations that maintain residential houses be coeducational.”
- A New Vision for Residential Education, July 2003
“M. Cappeto asked in the wake of this very difficult year for faculty to engage students in conversations, especially as many students perceive that faculty do not like or value them and that Admissions is striving to bring in a different type of student. As such, many students feel a strong sense of rejection by the faculty.”
-Colgate Faculty meeting minutes, April 21, 2001
“…the last vote of the faculty on this issue, which still stands, was approximately 140 for and 40 against abolishing the fraternity system.”
-Colgate Faculty meeting minutes, April 21, 2001
“I think we need to consider seriously the history and role of the fraternities and the hyper-macho sports at Colgate. Both these parts of Colgate are central to our tradition and our community, so we should not place them beyond the agenda of a serious investigation. I suggest that it is plausible, at least, that any organizations that emphasize a hyper-macho culture may be linked to the perpetuation of some of the negative aspects of our campus culture, including aggression, binge-drinking, gang-type loyalty, homophobia and misogyny.”
-NIGEL BOLLAND, Professor of Sociology, The Colgate Scene March 2001
“…queried if it was intentional on the part of the President (Karelis) to refer to the incident as a ‘fraternity brawl’ rather than making references to individuals’ responsibilities, and the president responded in the affirmative.”
-Colgate University Faculty Minutes November 6, 2000
“The Faculty of Colgate University recommends that the fraternity and sorority system be abolished by the beginning of academic year 1994-1995.”
-Passed 134
to 37, one abstention.
Colgate University Faculty meeting May 8, 1989.
“Ms. Pinchin noted…Sororities, like fraternities, she said, were part of a system that is, at its base, anti-intellectual and finally, antithetical to what we do in the classroom. …they trivialize young people.”
Colgate University Faculty Minutes, April 17, 1988
“Ms. Olcott noted that ‘we attract students who are attracted to fraternities,’ and consequently ‘we must change recruitment or redesign residential life.’ In fact, the admissions office approached the faculty asking them to give the office the names of some their “best” students, the admissions office would then compare the records of these individual students and see if a pattern emerged.”
-Colgate University Faculty Minutes, April 17, 1988
Colgate Faculty members Maude Clark, Amy Feinstein, Mary Moran, Marilyn Thie and Ken Valente circulated a questionnaire to other faculty to determine how much of their class curriculum is devoted to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning LGBTQ issues. The survey asks which regularly offered Colgate courses offer LGBTQ perspectives, topics, and materials in at least 1/3 of the content. The group solicits an agreement to offer such perspectives and asks what resources are needed. Further, they request ideas for additional courses that would meet the criteria of 1/3 LGBTQ content.
-LBGTB Curricular Questionnaire,
10/12/2004 to Colgate Faculty