News:
Colgate alumni rip takeover of houses
Board of trustees faces hostile questioning from graduates
young and old.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
By Glenn Coin
Staff writer
Several Colgate University alumni challenged the university's board of trustees Saturday on the takeover of former fraternity and sorority houses.
At the board's annual public question-and-answer session,
trustees were grilled by alumni who graduated from five months to more
than 50 years ago.
John Wilson, who graduated in 1952, said the university bullied fraternities
and sororities into selling their houses instead of negotiating.
"You took out the big gun, held it to our heads and said, 'If you don't do this, you're gone,' " said Wilson, a former university trustee and a Delta Kappa Epsilon member. DKE has refused to sell its house and has sued the university. Colgate has refused to recognize the fraternity.
Trustees Chairman John Golden said DKE's troubles are "self-inflicted. You had the opportunity to negotiate with us."
Under the new system, fraternities and sororities still exist, but all students must live in housing controlled by the university. Colgate officials insisted on taking over the fraternity and sorority houses after a string of incidents involving hazing, underage drinking and a sport utility vehicle crash in 2000 that killed four people.
Golden said the board has made no decision to do away with fraternities and sororities entirely.
"We all hope the Greek system survives and flourishes," Golden said, "but it will survive and flourish as a member of the community."
Some alumni challenged trustees to put in writing the promise to keep the sorority and fraternity system alive, and to agree to arbitration if trustees ever change their mind.
"Colgate refuses to commit to binding arbitration," said Andrew Spievack, a DKE member who graduated in May. "How can you say you will not eliminate the Greek system if you will not set it down on paper?"
Golden said the college can't be bound to arbitration to every organization on campus.
"If we should decide to eliminate lacrosse - or wrestling, which was eliminated - or some other traditional part of the university, we would not say, 'Let's put that to binding arbitration,' " Golden said.
One graduate, John Chaklader, praised the board Saturday for its action on fraternities and sororities. Chaklader, who graduated in 2003, said bringing the fraternity and sorority houses under Colgate control helped bring together a splintered campus.
"I know a lot of people who are very much in support
of acquisitions of these properties," Chaklader said. "It's
a matter of students feeling included overall."
Colgate spokesman Charlie Melichar said 10 sororities and fraternities
are active on campus this year, and they recently signed up 250 new members.
Three fraternities are not active: DKE, Delta Kappa Rho and Alpha Tau
Omega.
One fraternity that did sell its house, Phi Delta Theta, also has sued
Colgate, saying it was coerced into selling.
Graduate Charles Sanford, whose name is on the college's field house, asked the board why it had not done a study to see how the takeover would affect fundraising. Golden said the college had talked with its own fundraising department before the decision, and noted that giving and the number of applications reached record levels this year.
"Even those who disagree with us have to admit that Colgate is doing extremely well," Golden said. "Our alumni think we're doing something right because we had a record fundraising year."
Gifts to Colgate for the 2005 fiscal year totaled $42.4 million, double the previous year. Colgate also received more than 8,000 applications, also a record.
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